Equinox Gold Corp. announced that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued a positive Record of Decision (ROD) for the South Railroad project in Nevada, USA, marking completion of federal permitting under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. With the ROD now issued, early works construction at South Railroad has begun. Applications for key state permits and
water rights have also been submitted.
“The incremental production from South Railroad will be the first meaningful contributor towards our objective of adding 800,000 ounces (oz) of annual gold production from our organic development pipeline. Our board of directors had previously approved the start of construction, and with the ROD now in hand, South Railroad is positioned for first gold production in 2028,” said Jason Simpson, president of Equinox Gold.
South Railroad will be an open-pit heap leach mine. Based on the 2026 feasibility study, the project is expected to produce an average of 130,000 oz of gold annually over the first five years of operation, and more than 100,000 oz annually over the initial 10-year mine life. Initial capital costs are estimated at $395 million. The project is situated within a larger 25,000-hectare land package along Nevada’s prolific Carlin Trend, which provides opportunities for resource growth and discoveries.
Several key construction milestones targeted for completion this year include a workforce ramp-up and detailed engineering, which is 55.2% complete. Equinox said that major contracts for power generation, process plant equipment, concrete and structural steel have already been awarded. Early works commenced earlier this summer on the north access road outside of the BLM Plan of Operations in coordination with Elko County, Nevada. Earthworks and major civil construction activities have also commenced following the receipt of the ROD. Mining equipment will begin arriving on site at year-end, with initial mining activities scheduled to start in spring 2027.
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