From to left to right Nova’s Head of Exploration, Hans Hoffman, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, and Nova’s technical team at RPM Pad 1.
Alaska’s State Governor, Mike Dunleavy, along with the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) Commissioner, Ryan Anderson visited Nova Minerals’ Estelle gold project, located in the West Susitna Mining District, Alaska, USA. The governor and commissioner’s visit comprised part of an overview tour of the mining district and the proposed West Susitna Access Road (WSAR), for which some significant advancements have been announced recently, and will potentially provide direct all-year and all-weather access to the Estelle project site.
The WSAR is a proposed 100-mile-long road corridor that would connect Estelle with existing state infrastructure including, highways, rail, power and Port Mackenzie, as well as a large and skilled workforce living in the nearby Anchorage, Palmer and Wasilla communities. On July 27, 2023, DOT&PF announced plans to include the first 15 miles of the WSAR, including a major bridge over the Susitna River, within the draft ‘2024-2027 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program’ with funding set aside for construction to begin in 2025, pending permitting.
Subsequently, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) announced that it will continue working on a separate and additional portion of the WSAR, extending beyond the proposed DOT&PF road build to establish an industrial access corridor to several exploration and development projects in the West Susitna Mining District, including the Estelle gold project.
“We were honored, and we appreciate Governor Dunleavy taking the time to visit the Estelle gold project site as we continue our exploration and development activities in pursuit of bringing Estelle into commercial production,” said Nova CEO Christopher Gerteisen. “As a strong proponent of sustainable mining in Alaska we are also thankful for the policy under Governor Dunleavy’s administration of investing in critical infrastructure to stimulate growth in Alaska’s economy.”
Drilling at the company’s RPM deposit is progressing well and on time and budget, with first assay results expected this month, and an additional drill rig is set to be mobilized to the Train area in the next week. Nova is exploring multiple mining resources across a 35-km long mineralized corridor at Estelle with hopes of establishing a major gold mine.
