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Alaska governor inspects Nova Minerals’ plan for an all-weather road to Estelle gold project

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By Robin Bromby - 
Nova Minerals ASX NVA Alaska governor road Estelle gold project
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Nova Minerals (ASX: NVA) is backing a 100 mile (161km) all-weather road to access its Estelle gold project in Alaska and is promising that the project will open up the area to more gold, copper and strategic minerals schemes.

Governor Mike Dunleavy along with Ryan Anderson, who heads the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF), last Friday inspected the proposed road route.

The Estelle project is located in the West Susitna mining district of Alaska in an area administered by the Matanuska-Susitna (MatSu) Borough Assembly.

DOT&PF has already announced plans to include the first 15 miles of the proposed West Susitna Access Road in its next statewide transportation plan, which includes a bridge over the Susitna River.

Open up area for minerals exploration

The road has the support of Kevin McCabe who heads the Committee on Transportation in the state’s House of Representatives.

“This access road will also open up Alaska land for exploration and mineral resource development, something Alaskans do better, safer, and with more respect for the ecosystems than anyone else,” said Representative McCabe.

Nova’s flagship Estelle gold project contains multiple mining resources across a 35km long mineralised corridor with more than 20 identified gold prospects.

So far, the company has a defined 9.9 million ounces across four deposits.

The project is situated on the Estelle gold trend in Alaska’s Tintina gold belt which hosts a 220Moz documented gold endowment and some of the world’s largest gold mines and discoveries including Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine and Kinross Gold Corporation’s Fort Knox Gold Mine.

Will connect Estelle with existing infrastructure

The road will connect the Estelle operation with existing infrastructure including highways, a railway line, power supplies and Port MacKenzie, located near Anchorage and being developed as a bulk commodity handling port.

Last month the Alaska Development and Export Authority said it will continue to work on a different section of the access road.

Meanwhile, the borough assembly is seeking state or federal funding to convert a partially completed rail embankment into a paved road suitable for heavy haulage to link the access road to Port MacKenzie’s wharves.