Engineering and baseline studies begin for underground Frotet gold project

BBA has been engaged to develop a scoping study that will assist with permitting an exploration decline at Frotet and a preliminary cost estimate prior to application.

BBA Consultants has been hired to begin engineering and baseline studies in preparation for the Frotet underground gold project adjacent to the past-producing Troilus gold-copper mine 100 km north of Chibougamau, Quebec.

Kenorland Minerals (TSXV: KLD), the current operator and holder of a 4% net smelter return royalty on the project, updated recent events at the project. Frotet is 100% owned by Sumitomo Metal Mining Canada.

BBA has been engaged to develop a scoping study that will assist with permitting an exploration decline at Frotet and a preliminary cost estimate prior to application. Development of an underground exploration decline will facilitate year-round drilling to define the Regnault gold deposit with a resource estimate anticipated by late 2025. Baseline studies are included in the contract.

The Regnault deposit is a greenfield discovery made by Kenorland and Sumitomo in 2020. Since then, 220 drill holes totalling 100,721 metres have been drilled. The property has a network of forestry road and a crossing over the Route du Nord in the southwest part of the property. A power transmission line, which served the Troilus mine, also crosses the property.

The deposit is hosted within quartz-calcite stockwork vein systems, and pyrite is the dominant sulphide mineral with gold mineralization. Visible gold has been logged in several high-grade veins.

Late last month, Kenorland reported exceptional gold grades, including:

• 24.16 g/t gold over 4.7 metres, including 261.20 g/t over 0.4 metre;
• 31.09 g/t gold over 1.9 metre, including 103.50 g/t over 0.6 metre;
• 16.11 g/t gold over 4.5 metres, including 164.70 g/t over 0.4 metre;
• 5.08 g/t gold over 11.10 metres, including 106.90 g/t over 0.4 metre;
•  17.71 g/t gold over 2.9 metres, including 153.70 g/t over 0.3 metres.

There were several other short intervals of roughly 45 g/t, 73 g/t and 22 g/t gold.