Pickle Lake gold explorer Ardiden has clearance to begin its first round of drilling on a potentially massive gold deposit near Pickle Lake.
The Western Australian company obtained a provincial exploration to start summer drilling at its Kasagimmins deposit.
The company said in an Aug. 18 news release that it has met all the consultation requirements with neighbouring First Nations as stipulated by the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines under its COVID-19 amended permit conditions.
Earlier this month, Ardiden reported that the pandemic had created a bureaucratic backlog at Queen's Park in processing exploration permits that slightly delayed the launch to their exploration program.
The company expects a drill rig to be delivered to the Kasagiminnis within two weeks.
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Kasagiminnis is one of four prospects within Ardiden’s extensive Pickle Lake Gold Project, a 664-square-kilometre package of past producing gold mines and underexplored property.
Last September, Ardiden announced this particular deposit had a maiden resource estimate of 110,000 ounces within 790,000 tonnes, grading 4.3 grams per tonne. The company will test two of 20 structural targets identified along the Kasagiminnis structural trend.
“Now that we have all the necessary permits, we are very much looking forward and moving quickly to commence our summer drilling campaign at our flagship Kasagiminnis gold deposit and thanks to our recent capital raising, preparing for a larger winter program,” said exploration manager Dan Grabiec in a statement.
Grabiec said with two other exploration firms drilling in the Pickle Lake area, "unpredecented pressures" have been applied to local First Nation communities and their concerns about COVID-19.
"We, as a company, have applied our values of respect towards the local communities and the safety and welfare of all stakeholders, above all else."
