Sonoro Gold Applies For Cerro Caliche’s Environmental Permit

Sonoro Gold reported that it has sent its Environmental Impact Statement (MIA) for the Cerro Caliche gold project in Sonora to the environmental ministry SEMARNAT. The company announced that it is currently completing the required documentation for the change of land use application (ETJ). 

The MIA’s scope includes open pit operations, waste dumps, crushing plants, heap leach pads, leach solution storage ponds, gold recovery areas and haul roads, among other essential infrastructure. It also considers a degree of flexibility for the continual optimization of the mine plan to support operational growth and resource expansion, all proposed in the company’s Preliminary Economic Assessment of Oct. 29 2021. During the permitting phase, the company will prepare work and arrange adequate financing. 

“The filing of the MIA follows the compilation of extensive technical and environmental studies conducted on the Cerro Caliche concession over the past four years and supports the company’s objective to develop the Sonoro’s proposed heap leach mining operation,” said Kenneth MacLeod, President and CEO, Sonoros Gold. 

Sonoro Gold also announced that phase IV of its drilling program is nearly complete. The company said it will report the project’s estimated resource once it has finalized the results. 

The company looks forward to make 2022 a success: in an interview with MBN, Jorge Díaz, Vice President of Operations, Sonoro Gold, said that increasing its production rate is possible since the company’s previous plan considered a production of 8,000t/d. However, the latest results confirmed a possibility of an initial phase with 15,000t/d, making the 20,000t/d end goal increasingly realistic to achieve. Recently, the company announced first revenue is expected in 1Q23. 

Regarding financing, the company reported that its recent private placement demonstrates its ability to develop projects. It highlighted the team’s confidence in the project, which was reflected the hundred thousands of dollars the company’s executives made personal investments in the project. 

Recently, the company has conducted a drilling program, with the objective of increasing the estimated size and grade of the project’s oxide gold mineralization and potentially extend the estimated life of its heap leach mining operations. The last results reported multiple high-grade gold intercepts at El Colorado and Guadalupe zones. 

Sonoro Gold is a junior gold exploration and development company, but works to become a gold producer in the future. Cerro Caliche is the key project in this mission.