Riversoftakes next permitting step at Northern Zone with clearing application
Riversgold Ltd (ASX:RGL, OTC:RVSGF) has filed a Native Vegetation Clearing Permit application for its Northern Zone Gold Project, moving the Kalgoorlie-area operation a step closer to the approvals needed for mining. The application is now with Western Australia’s Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, which must sign off before any native vegetation can be cleared at the site.
The permit application is one of two approval streams Riversgold has been advancing in parallel. The other is the Mine Development and Closure Proposal, the operating approval required to begin mining, which the company still expects to submit to the Department of Mines, Petroleum and Energy in early September.
Northern Zone, planned as an open-pit gold operation roughly 25 kilometers east of Kalgoorlie, is part of Riversgold’s broader Kalgoorlie Gold Project. The ground sits in a well-established gold district, east of the Golden Mile/Fimiston “Super Pit” and close to other producing operations and development projects.
Riversgold’s technical director, Ed Mead, described the submission as another step toward turning Northern Zone into a producing asset.
“The gold price continues to remain strong, and this is a great time to be on the path to production,” Mead said. “We remain firmly on track to submit our Mine Development and Closure Proposal (MDCP) to the Department of Mines Petroleum and Energy (DMPE) in early September, and we are working very closely with our funding partners, MEGA Resources, on finalising mine planning and scheduling.”
Riversgold owns 80% of Northern Zone, with Oracle Power PLC (AIM:ORCP) holding the remaining 20%. Development is expected to be fully funded by Mega Resources under a 50:50 Mining and Co-operation Agreement signed in September 2025. The project sits on Mining Lease M25/389, a 21-year tenure running until July 2047.
Under Western Australian rules, clearing native vegetation needs DWER authorisation unless an exemption applies, so the permit is a necessary precursor to any site works. Pushing the NVCP and MDCP through in parallel keeps the project on a steady path toward development rather than leaving the approvals queue to unfold one step at a time.
Strong gold prices are also helping the case for moving quickly. With bullion at elevated levels, Riversgold is aiming to bring Northern Zone forward at a time when the market is rewarding gold developers. For a junior miner, the combination of a funded development agreement and two active approval processes reduces some of the execution risk that often weighs on early-stage projects.
Riversgold’s immediate focus is on progressing the NVCP assessment while completing the MDCP for early-September submission. In parallel, it is finalizing mine planning and scheduling with Mega Resources. Approval of the clearing permit, followed by progress on the MDCP, would put in place the approvals framework Riversgold needs to begin mining at Northern Zone.