Aya Gold & Silver Initiates Feasibility-Level Study for Boumadine Project
Aya Gold & Silver Inc., a prominent player in the mining sector, has officially announced the commencement of a comprehensive work program aimed at supporting a Feasibility Study (FS) for its Boumadine Project, a significant undertaking in Morocco's mining landscape. This strategic move follows the positive results of a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) released on November 4, 2025, alongside the technical report that was submitted on December 18, 2025. The feasibility study is a crucial step in the advancement of the Boumadine polymetallic project, which is poised to enhance the company's growth trajectory.
The newly initiated feasibility-level work program is meticulously designed to optimize the project's design and refine both capital and operating cost estimates. Aya Gold & Silver has enlisted a multidisciplinary team of Qualified Persons from leading engineering and technical firms such as Lycopodium Minerals Canada, SRK Consulting (UK) Limited, SGS Canada Inc., Epoch Resources (Pty) Ltd., and SLR Consulting France SAS. These esteemed firms will collaborate to ensure that the project adheres to the highest technical standards. Additionally, discussions with further expert firms are ongoing to bolster other workstreams, demonstrating the company's commitment to thorough development.
"We are accelerating development at Boumadine as it enters the feasibility stage," stated Benoit La Salle, President & CEO of Aya Gold & Silver. He emphasized that with the mining permit secured, the company is advancing multiple workstreams simultaneously to expedite the next phase of development while upholding rigorous technical standards, supported by top-tier engineering firms and specialists. Currently, the company is deploying 10 drill rigs to advance an infill drilling program, achieving nearly 20% of its 2026 drilling objective already.
Project Overview and Future Prospects
The upcoming phase of analysis and review will build upon the foundation laid in the 2025 PEA, which revealed that Boumadine is a district-scale project that integrates both open-pit and underground mining methods. The project is designed to operate a conventional flotation plant capable of producing distinct concentrates of zinc, lead, and pyrite. Revenue projections indicate a predominant contribution from precious metals, with gold accounting for roughly 61%, silver for 21%, zinc for 13%, and lead for 5%. The PEA also outlined a potentially scalable 11-year mine plan, which the FS aims to further optimize and mitigate risks associated with the project. Furthermore, ongoing studies will assess options for enhanced plant throughput, considering potential resource growth.
As part of the work plan, Aya Gold & Silver is targeting the completion of the FS by the second half of 2027. Currently, approximately 38,000 meters have been drilled in the company’s ambitious 360,000-meter infill drilling campaign, which is crucial for converting mineral resources and providing the geological confidence necessary for reserve estimation as part of the FS. This drilling effort includes infill work to upgrade inferred resources to indicated status, as well as targeted step-out drilling aimed at expanding mineralization across the Main, Tizi, and Imariren trends, which remain open in all directions.
Additional technical programs, such as detailed geological mapping, core scanning, and metallurgical sampling, are being conducted concurrently to refine the resource model and advance mine planning. Core scanning will facilitate the analysis of additional metals not typically included in systematic assays, including antimony, cobalt, and tin. An updated mineral resource estimate (MRE) is anticipated in the latter half of 2026, incorporating data from the ongoing drilling campaign.
To ensure the success of the Boumadine Project, Aya Gold & Silver is also focusing on various supporting studies, including metallurgical testwork led by SGS, process engineering by Lycopodium, geotechnical studies by RockEng Inc., and environmental assessments by SLR. Collectively, these efforts aim to optimize the project's design, assess environmental impacts, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards, thereby establishing a solid foundation for the project’s future development.
As reported by resourceworld.com.
