A feasibility study for the Donlin project – said to be one of the world’s largest undeveloped openpit gold endowments – will be updated next year, Barrick and Novagold said on Wednesday, as the partners agreed on the key work plans to advance the Alaska project.

The recently completed 2021 drill campaign, which sought to validate and increase confidence in geological modelling concepts for feasibility work, continued to yield high-grade intercepts and demonstrated grade continuity.

“This campaign is not only yielding high-grade intercepts in the future openpit areas, Donlin Gold’s 2021 drill programme is producing some of the best drill results seen lately in the gold mining industry, from juniors to majors,” Novagold CEO Greg Lang commented in a statement.

The 2021 drill programme was completed in September with 79 holes drilled for a total of 24 264 m. To date, Donlin has reported assays for 36 complete holes and 22 partial holes, encompassing 15 700 m of length drilled. The last core was logged in mid-October with final samples sent off site to laboratories for further processing. Final results are due in 2022.

Lang and Barrick CEO Mark Bristow also recently visited the Donlin project site, meeting local stakeholders.

Bristow commented in a statement that sitting down with stakeholders drove home the significance and importance of Donlin to both partners.

“We have a unique opportunity to progress a world-class project in both a jurisdiction, and with local partners, that recognise the contribution such an asset can bring to the lives of future generations of Alaskans. Our priority is to do that responsibly and sustainably and it is an illustration of Barrick’s and Novagold’s strong partnership that we were able to have such a productive workshop and come away with next steps to move the project forward.”

Donlin has a measured and indicated mineral resource of 39-million ounces of gold, grading 2.24 g/t.