Viva Gold Corp. has advanced the permitting timeline for its 100% owned Tonopah Gold Project in western Nevada by scheduling the initiation of the formal National Environmental Policy Act Mining Plan of Operations review for 2027.

The target marks a shift from the company’s previous baseline positioning. Viva held initial baseline discussions for the project with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in 2021. On August 6, 2026, Viva completed its second BLM baseline review meeting, clearing the path to advance the federal permitting process toward the formal review stage.

To support the MPoO submission, Viva is expanding the project's groundwater monitoring network with four additional downstream monitoring wells, additional vibrating wire piezometers, and one more pump test well. This infrastructure will feed into upcoming aquifer pump-down testing and hydrologic groundwater modelling, representing a major remaining baseline study for the site.

The ongoing baseline and hydrological work runs parallel to a pre-feasibility study for Tonopah, which remains on track for completion in the fourth quarter of 2026. The PFS will define the operational footprints, facility descriptions, and disturbance volumes required to establish the operational basis for the MPoO. Viva also plans follow-up drilling at its recently identified Midway Hills gold discovery located in the western portion of the project.

“The NEPA process is a well codified process that brings together all environmental and operational impact studies required for Federal mine permit review together under one umbrella. Viva has now taken the required steps to put Tonopah solidly on track for moving into and completing this process. Successfully permitting a gold project in Nevada is one of the most significant value-creating and de-risking milestones a developer can achieve, and clearing this path is an important catalyst for Viva and its shareholders. Besides working on the MPoO and baseline study work, Viva is also planning follow-up drilling at its new Midway Hills gold discovery in the western portion of the project”

— James Hesketh, President & CEO

These developments position the company to advance both engineering and regulatory milestones concurrently through late 2026 and into 2027.

Read the full announcement: Viva Gold Accelerates Permitting Program at Tonopah Gold Project in Nevada