Tocvan Ventures (CSE: TOC) is advancing its Gran Pilar gold-silver project in Sonora, Mexico, with a strategy that combines exploration drilling with a permitted pilot mining operation aimed at demonstrating heap leach production potential. Speaking with Kitco Mining at PDAC 2026, CEO Brodie Sutherland said the company spent three years consolidating the land package around a discovery first drilled by the Lundin Group in 1996. “We negotiated a deal to expand that property to 22 square kilometers,” Sutherland said, noting the company can now drill across the entire project area.

Tocvan has drilled close to 18,000 meters at Gran Pilar over the past five years and plans a minimum 20,000 meters in 2026 while advancing a pilot facility permitted to process an initial 50,000 tons of material. The company completed a 1,500-ton bulk sample in 2023, grading 1.9 g/t gold, and continues metallurgical work ahead of pilot operations planned later this year. “We’re getting over 95% recovery of gold,” Sutherland said, referring to lab-scale tests supporting the heap leach concept.

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To learn more about Tocvan Ventures, visit: https://tocvan.com/

00:19 - Gran Pilar Project Origins and Lundin Discovery
03:16 - Why Tocvan Is Advancing a Pilot Mine
04:11 - Pilot Mine Permit and 50,000 Ton Processing Plan
06:52 - Maiden Resource Goal at Gran Pilar
07:34 - Growth Strategy for Small Producers in Sonora
09:07 - Lessons from Other Sonora Gold Producers
12:27 - Warrants, Share Structure, and Cash Runway
14:00 - 2026 Catalysts and Path Toward a PEA
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Gran Pilar Gold Project Moves Toward Pilot Production | Brodie Sutherland

Kitco MINING

Gran Pilar Gold Project Moves Toward Pilot Production | Brodie Sutherland