Lahontan Gold (TSX-V:LG) has strengthened its management team with three new appointments as the company moves to advance its Santa Fe Mine in Nevada towards production.
The company announced on Tuesday it has appointed Tony Gesualdo as Vice President – Exploration, Michael Kubel as Senior Mine Engineer, and Jen Earle to lead Investor Relations & Business Development.
Gesualdo, a former senior exploration geologist at McEwen Mining (TSX:MUX), returns to Lahontan after previously serving as exploration manager from 2020 to 2023. During that period, he contributed to the development of Santa Fe’s initial mineral resource estimate.
His previous experience also includes roles with gold miners Coeur Mining (NYSE:CDE), OceanaGold (TSX:OGC), and Barrick Mining (TSX:ABX).
“Tony is a Lahontan veteran who previously managed our Santa Fe exploration team and made important contributions to the project’s initial mineral resource estimate,” Lahontan CEO and Founder Kimberly Ann says.
“His return in a senior leadership role adds significant geological and exploration expertise as we advance the Santa Fe Mine and continue to evaluate opportunities to expand the company’s resource base.”
Building towards production
Kubel brings more than a decade of experience in Nevada open-pit gold mining and heap-leach processing, including work at the Florida Canyon and Hycroft mines.
Earle has two decades of experience in the natural resources sector, spanning junior mining companies with assets across multiple jurisdictions as well as a FTSE 250-listed oil and gas company.
“As we advance permitting for the Santa Fe Mine and target a restart of production in 2027, we are building the technical, operational, and business development capabilities required to take the company into its next phase of growth,” Ann says.
The appointments come as Lahontan progresses plans to return Santa Fe to production.
Located in Nevada’s Walker Lane, Santa Fe hosts a former open-pit, heap-leach gold and silver mine that produced 359,202 ounces of gold and 702,067 ounces of silver between 1988 and 1995.
Lahontan has since assembled a 28km² land position encompassing three historic open pits and four heap-leach pads.
Santa Fe resource grows
A 2024 preliminary economic assessment (PEA) outlined an eight-year operation producing approximately 345,000 ounces of gold equivalent.
Lahontan has since expanded the project’s resource base. Last month, the company reported an updated estimate containing nearly 1.2 million ounces of gold equivalent in the indicated category and a further 1.19 million ounces in the inferred category, representing a 22% increase over the 2024 estimate.
The company is pursuing a phased development strategy at Santa Fe, initially targeting shallow oxide material before potentially incorporating the project’s larger sulphide resource.
Permitting is underway for the Phase One oxide development, while Lahontan is preparing a new PEA to assess the expanded resource base and higher-grade sulphide mineralisation.
The company is targeting the start of construction in 2027.
Lahontan Gold is a Nevada-focused mine development company advancing a portfolio of four gold and silver projects in mining-friendly Nevada’s prolific Walker Lane.
Write to Jackson Chen at Mining.com.au
Images: Lahontan Gold
