Equinox Gold Secures Federal Approval for Nevada Mine

Equinox Gold (TSX:EQX,NYSEAMERICAN:EQX) has secured federal approval to build the South Railroad mine in Nevada, clearing the primary regulatory hurdle for its next major development project.

The US Bureau of Land Management issued a positive record of decision for the site on Monday (August 17), finalizing the National Environmental Policy Act permitting process.

Detailed engineering sits at 55.2 percent completion. Mining equipment will begin arriving by year end, gearing the operation to initiate mining activities in spring 2027 and pour first gold in 2028.

Based on a 2026 feasibility study, the open-pit heap leach mine will yield an average of 130,000 ounces of gold annually over its first five years. It will maintain output exceeding 100,000 ounces annually across its initial 10 year life.

“Receiving the Record of Decision is a major milestone for the South Railroad project and advances our next phase of growth,” Equinox President Jason Simpson said in the company's release.

“The incremental production from South Railroad will be the first meaningful contributor towards our objective of adding 800,000 ounces of annual gold production from our organic development pipeline.”

Equinox recently closed a blockbuster merger with Orla Mining, minting North America’s newest senior gold producer and anchoring the combined entity's core operations in Canada.

Following the integration, Equinox raised its consolidated 2026 production guidance to between 870,000 and 920,000 ounces of gold. On a pro forma basis, the company expects to produce approximately 1.1 million ounces per year.

Management has outlined a development runway leveraging operations across the US, Mexico and Nicaragua to eventually push Equinox's output beyond 1.9 million ounces annually.

Robust second quarter results have also strengthened the company's balance sheet. On August 5, Equinox reported net income of US$230.6 million, generating US$769.8 million in revenue.

Across its portfolio, the company produced 176,836 ounces of gold, capitalizing on an average realized gold price of US$4,256 per ounce. Operations at the Canadian Greenstone and Valentine mines drove the output, contributing 64,656 ounces and 32,617 ounces, respectively.

Ahead of the merger, the board authorized construction of a Phase 2 expansion at Valentine.

The project will increase processing capacity to 13,700 metric tons per day, pushing average annual gold production to approximately 223,000 ounces. It is slated for completion in late 2028.

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Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.