Guardian Metal's Pilot Mountain PFS Secures $6.2M DOE Funding, Hits Drilling Milestones
Guardian Metal's Pilot Mountain PFS is advancing on schedule, backed by a $6.2M Defense Production Act Title III investment and in-house and specialist engineering teams. Drilling at Garnet, Good Hope, Gunmetal and Desert Scheelite East zones has delivered visual scheelite intersections and resource evaluations are ongoing.
1. PFS Progress and Funding
Guardian Metal has advanced all key Pre-Feasibility Study workstreams at Pilot Mountain with a $6.2M Defense Production Act Title III investment. In-house teams along with Samuel Engineering Inc. and specialist firms are on track to complete PFS and transition to mine permitting and Definitive Feasibility Study.
2. Mine Planning and Permitting
The project is evaluated as a conventional open-pit operation sourcing feed from Desert Scheelite and Garnet Zones. A Plan of Operations is targeted for submission by August 2026 to initiate the National Environmental Policy Act process, aligning permitting efforts with PFS completion.
3. Metallurgy and Hydrogeology
Flowsheet development indicates a standard flotation circuit capable of producing scheelite concentrate, with ongoing evaluation of silver and zinc by-products. Phase I hydrogeological drilling and monitoring well installation are complete, and Phase II additional wells have commenced to support groundwater modeling for permitting.
4. Exploration Drilling Update
Infill drilling at Garnet Zone is complete with visual scheelite mineralisation; Good Hope initial drillholes returned visual intersections and analytical assays are pending. Gunmetal Zone drill pad preparation nears completion ahead of drilling by June, and Desert Scheelite East extension drilling intersected scheelite approximately 300m beyond the open-pit limit, with further holes planned.