Lahontan Selects RESPEC and Kappes Cassiday to Update Santa Fe Mineral Resource Estimate and PEA
Lahontan Formalizes Transition from Explorer to Developer as Santa Fe Permitting Triggers PEA Update

The most recent news release (February 3, 2026) announces that Lahontan Gold has retained RESPEC Company LLC and Kappes, Cassiday & Associates (KCA) to update the Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) and Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the Santa Fe Mine Project in Nevada. The updated MRE will incorporate all drilling conducted since October 2024, a new 3D geologic model, and revised metallurgical data. The MRE is expected in the "coming months," with the PEA slated for completion in Q2 2026. This follows recent drilling success at the Slab and York zones and the mobilization of core rigs for geochemical and hydrological data collection required for state-level permitting.
The news is a Routine - Positive development. While the hiring of consultants is a standard procedural step for a junior miner, it signals the formal conclusion of the 2025 exploration phase and the pivot toward economic modeling and mine construction planning.
- Materiality: The impact is moderate. It confirms the company is adhering to its timeline for a 2027 ground-breaking. By incorporating higher metal prices and the expanded footprint from the York claim acquisition (October 2025), the updated PEA is likely to show improved project scale compared to the January 2025 report.
- Project De-risking: The focus on hydrologic and waste rock data (January 26, 2026 news) is a critical path item for Nevada permitting. The market now has a clear 6-month window (Q2 2026) to see the "new" economics of the project.
- Grade Reality: While the scale is growing, recent drill results (0.45 g/t AuEq over 68.6m) remind investors that this is a bulk-tonnage, low-grade oxide play. The profitability will be highly sensitive to the metallurgical recovery rates KCA is currently analyzing.
Lahontan Gold Corp. is a junior explorer/developer focused on the Walker Lane trend in Nevada. Its flagship is the Santa Fe Mine, a past-producing open-pit heap leach mine (1988-1995). The project currently hosts 1.54M oz AuEq Indicated and 0.41M oz AuEq Inferred resources. The project is characterized by shallow oxide mineralization, excellent infrastructure (on-site substation, year-round access), and a clear pathway to resuming production by 2027.