New Found Gold (TSXV:NFG) - Hammerdown & the Path to Production

Interview with Keith Boyle, CEO & Director of New Found GoldOur previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/new-found-gold-tsxvnfg-fully-funded-drill-program-for-2026-10527Recording date: June 9th 2026New Found Gold Corp (TSXV: NFG | NYSE-A: NFGC) is advancing two gold projects in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Its flagship Queensway Gold Project hosts a NI 43-101 resource of 1.39 million ounces of indicated gold at 2.40 g/t and 0.608 million ounces of inferred gold at 1.77 g/t. The Hammerdown Gold Project, acquired in 2025, provides access to the Pine Cove Mill, a fully permitted, operational processing facility that will receive Queensway Phase 1 ore from Q4 2027, with commercial production targeted for 2028.Hammerdown is in the final stages of its ramp-up to commercial production, defined as sustained 700 tonne-per-day throughput with consistent grade from the open pit. At steady state, the operation is projected to generate $40 to $50 million per year in free cash flow at an AISC of approximately $2,500 per ounce - sufficient to cover corporate overhead and fund the exploration program. The Pine Cove Mill is being doubled in throughput capacity as part of the Phase 1 capital program, removing the need for a separate processing facility at Queensway. A $220 million financing package closed in April 2026 funds Phase 1 construction, with $148 million in cash and marketable securities held as of May 2026.Queensway Phase 1 targets approximately 100,000 ounces per year in the first two years at grades of 12 to 12.5 g/t and an AISC of around $1,300 per ounce. The PEA's base case at US$2,500 gold shows an after-tax NPV of C$743 million, an IRR of 56%, and payback of under two years. The operational team being assembled at Hammerdown, including newly promoted General Manager of Mines Mark Ross, will transfer directly to Queensway.A 90,000-metre drill program is underway across a 110-kilometre land package, with the Dropkick zone, returning intercepts of up to 42.79 g/t Au over 14.95 metres and excluded from the current MRE, among the key targets. An updated resource estimate incorporating Dropkick is expected in 2026.—Learn more: https://cruxinvestor.com/companies/new-found-goldSign up for Crux Investor: https://cruxinvestor.com