North Bay Resources Inc. (OTC:NBRI) earlier this week reported strong gold recovery results from its Bishop Gold Mill in California. CEO Jared Lazerson told Proactive that the company has successfully produced a gold concentrate grade of 8.5oz, matching laboratory expectations.
Lazerson explained that the company is processing ore from its Fran Gold Project in British Columbia. Assay results from this project range from 1.2 to 2.2oz per ton, with a head grade of approximately 0.9oz per ton. The company has processed over 100 tons in this initial run and is now focusing on refining operations.
Proactive: The company announced today that it achieved high-grade gold concentrate from the Bishop Gold Mill. Before we get into the details, can you remind everyone about this project?
Jared Lazerson: Sure. We own a 70% majority stake in the Bishop Gold Mill in California. It has a processing capacity of 100 tons per day and is fully permitted. Right now, we’re optimizing operations. We're processing ore from our Fran Gold Project in British Columbia, which has high-grade gold assays ranging from 1.2 to 2.2oz per ton. The head grade has been about 0.9oz per ton.
We shipped over 100 tons for this initial run, and we’re now receiving assay results. These results are from a couple of weeks ago. At this stage, we’re focused on refining our process, meeting refinery specifications, and preparing for gold shipments.
You announced the production of gold concentrate. What are you seeing in the results?
The results are solid. In December, we completed our metallurgy work, which takes time. Gravity separation results came in at around 8.5oz, and our recent results matched that exactly—8.5oz. It’s almost to the decimal in terms of concentrate.
At first glance, everything is working just as expected, mirroring our lab tests. That transition is critical in mining because there are several points where projects can struggle. Metallurgy dilution and recovery are key challenges, but our numbers are spot on.
Why is hitting these numbers so significant?
This phase is where many mining projects face difficulties. Ensuring grade and recovery aligns with lab results is crucial. We’re pleased that our results are exactly as projected. This puts us in a strong position to continue optimizing and scaling up capacity.
So what’s next?
We’ll keep optimizing the process and increasing capacity. The primary goal is gold shipments. We’re in a good place and just need to refine operations further.
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and style