American Battery Technology Company Completes All Required NEPA Baseline Studies for its Tonopah Flats Lithium Project, One of the Largest Critical Mineral Lithium Projects in the U.S.
American Battery Technology Company (NASDAQ: ABAT) announced completion of all required baseline studies for its Tonopah Flats Lithium Project (TFLP) and submission of baseline reports to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management as part of the NEPA review process.
The company completed 21 baseline studies across biological, hydrological, geological, cultural and socio‑economic categories after over two years of work, submitted a Mine Plan of Operations now under BLM review, and plans a Pre‑Feasibility Study to further define technical and economic performance. TFLP was selected in June 2025 as a FAST‑41/NEDC Transparency Priority Project and later upgraded to a Covered Priority Project.
American Battery Technology Company (NASDAQ: ABAT) ha annunciato il completamento di tutti gli studi di baseline richiesti per il suo Tonopah Flats Lithium Project (TFLP) e la presentazione dei rapporti di baseline al Bureau of Land Management degli Stati Uniti come parte del processo di revisione NEPA.
L'azienda ha completato 21 studi di baseline in categorie biologiche, idrologiche, geologiche, culturali e socio‑economiche dopo oltre due anni di lavoro, ha presentato un Piano Minerario delle Operazioni ora in revisione da parte del BLM e pianifica uno Studio di pre-fattibilità per definire ulteriormente la prestazione tecnica ed economica. Il TFLP è stato selezionato a giugno 2025 come FAST‑41/NEDC Transparency Priority Project e successivamente elevato a Covered Priority Project.
American Battery Technology Company (NASDAQ: ABAT) anunció la finalización de todos los estudios de referencia requeridos para su Tonopah Flats Lithium Project (TFLP) y la presentación de los informes de referencia al U.S. Bureau of Land Management como parte del proceso de revisión NEPA.
La empresa completó 21 estudios de referencia en las categorías biológica, hidrogeológica, geológica, cultural y socioeconómica tras más de dos años de trabajo, presentó un Plan de Minería de Operaciones que ahora está en revisión por el BLM, y planea un Estudio de Prefactibilidad para definir aún más el rendimiento técnico y económico. TFLP fue seleccionado en junio de 2025 como FAST‑41/NEDC Transparency Priority Project y posteriormente actualizado a un Covered Priority Project.
American Battery Technology Company (NASDAQ: ABAT)는 자사의 Tonopah Flats Lithium Project (TFLP)에 대해 모든 필수 기준 연구의 완료와 NEPA 심사 과정의 일환으로 미국 국토관리청(BLM)에 기준 보고서를 제출했다고 발표했습니다.
생물학, 수문학, 지질학, 문화 및 사회경제적 범주에 걸쳐 21개의 기준 연구를 완료했고 2년이 넘는 작업 끝에 광산운영계획(Mine Plan of Operations)을 제출했으며 현재 BLM의 심사를 받고 있으며 기술적·경제적 성능을 더 정의하기 위한 예비타당성조사(PFS)를 계획하고 있습니다. TFLP는 2025년 6월 FAST‑41/NEDC 투명성 우선 프로젝트로 선정되었고 이후 Covered Priority Project로 승격되었습니다.
American Battery Technology Company (NASDAQ: ABAT) a annoncé l’achèvement de toutes les études de référence requises pour son Tonopah Flats Lithium Project (TFLP) et la soumission des rapports de référence au Bureau of Land Management des États‑Unis dans le cadre du processus d’évaluation NEPA.
L’entreprise a mené à terme 21 études de référence dans les catégories biologiques, hydrologiques, géologiques, culturelles et socio‑économiques après plus de deux ans de travail, a soumis un Plan d’Exploitation Minière qui est maintenant en révision par le BLM et prévoit une Étude de Pré‑Faisabilité pour définir plus précisément les performances techniques et économiques. Le TFLP a été sélectionné en juin 2025 comme FAST‑41/NEDC Transparency Priority Project et a été ultérieurement promu à Covered Priority Project.
American Battery Technology Company (NASDAQ: ABAT) gab die Fertigstellung aller erforderlichen Basisstudien für sein Tonopah Flats Lithium Project (TFLP) bekannt und die Einreichung der Baselinesberichte beim U.S. Bureau of Land Management im Rahmen des NEPA‑Prüfprozesses.
Das Unternehmen hat 21 Baseline‑Studien in den Kategorien Biologie, Hydrologie, Geologie, Kultur und Sozial‑ökonomisch abgeschlossen, nach über zwei Jahren Arbeit, hat einen Mine Plan of Operations eingereicht, der nun von der BLM geprüft wird, und plant eine Vora‑Machbarkeitsstudie (Pre‑Feasibility Study), um die technische und wirtschaftliche Leistungsfähigkeit weiter zu definieren. TFLP wurde im Juni 2025 als FAST‑41/NEDC Transparency Priority Project ausgewählt und später zu einem Covered Priority Project aufgewertet.
American Battery Technology Company (NASDAQ: ABAT) أعلنت عن اكتمال جميع الدراسات الأساسية المطلوبة لمشروع Tonopah Flats Lithium Project (TFLP) وتقديم تقارير الأساس إلى مكتب إدارة الأراضي الأمريكية كجزء من عملية المراجعة وفق NEPA.
أكملت الشركة 21 دراسة أساسية في فئات بيولوجية وهيدرولوجية وجيولوجية وثقافية واجتماعية-اقتصادية بعد أكثر من سنتين من العمل، وقدمت خطة عمليات منجم الآن قيد المراجعة من قبل BLM وتخطط لدراسة ما قبل الجدوى (Pre‑Feasibility Study) لتحديد الأداء الفني والاقتصادي بشكل أكبر. تم اختيار TFLP في يونيو 2025 كمشروع أولوية الشفافية FAST‑41/NEDC ولاحقاً ترقيته إلى Covered Priority Project.
American Battery Technology Company (NASDAQ: ABAT) 宣布完成其 Tonopah Flats Lithium Project (TFLP) 的所有基线研究，并向美国土地管理局提交基线报告，作为NEPA评估过程的一部分。
公司在生物、水文、地质、文化和社会经济等分类中完成了 21项基线研究，经过超过 两年的工作，提交了现已由BLM审查的《矿业运营计划》，并计划进行预可行性研究以进一步界定技术和经济性能。TFLP 于 2025 年 6 月被选为 FAST‑41/NEDC 透明度优先项目，随后晋升为 Covered Priority Project。
- 21 baseline studies completed and submitted
- Baseline program completed after over two years of field work
- Mine Plan of Operations (MPO) submitted to BLM for review
- Designated a FAST‑41/NEDC Transparency Priority in June 2025 and upgraded to a Covered Priority Project
- Formal NEPA review phase is pending BLM assessment
- Pre‑Feasibility Study not yet released
Insights
Completion of NEPA baseline studies advances federal permitting for the Tonopah Flats Lithium Project and enables formal NEPA review.
The submission of 21 baseline studies and a Mine Plan of Operations moves the project into the formal NEPA review phase, which is a necessary regulatory step before permits and construction can proceed. This milestone tightens the development pathway because regulators can now assess environmental analyses and impact statements using completed, project‑specific data rather than preliminary plans.
Key dependencies and risks remain: the pace and outcome of the BLM's NEPA review, the technical findings in the forthcoming Pre‑Feasibility Study, and any substantive comments from federal, state, tribal, or public stakeholders could alter timing or scope. Being designated a FAST‑41 "Covered Priority Project" shortens some procedural roadblocks but does not guarantee approvals; substantive study results or stakeholder objections can still create delays.
Watch for the BLM's NEPA scoping and draft environmental impact statement timelines, the regulator's response to the submitted Mine Plan of Operations, and the release of the Pre‑Feasibility Study (next material technical milestone). Expect measurable permitting steps and stakeholder engagement outcomes within the next
Marking major milestone completing over two years of efforts in federal permitting process for this critical mineral mine and refinery
Reno, Nev., Oct. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Battery Technology Company (NASDAQ: ABAT), an integrated critical battery materials company commercializing both its primary battery mineral manufacturing and lithium-ion battery recycling facilities, announced that it has completed all of its required baseline studies and submitted all subsequent baseline reports to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process, a major milestone in the development of its Tonopah Flats Lithium Project (TFLP), one of the largest critical mineral lithium projects in the United States, one of the largest critical mineral lithium projects in the United States.
As with the majority of land in Nevada, the TFLP site is located on land managed by the BLM. As such, this project is required to undergo a federal permitting process in accordance with NEPA (BLM NEPA Handbook) and in March 2023 ABTC held a Baseline Needs Assessment meeting with over 40 regulatory agencies and stakeholders from various federal, state, local, and tribal organizations in order to review the overall plan for the project and to identify all requisite environmental analyses and baseline resource inventories that would be required for the permitting and construction of this critical mineral lithium project.
This needs assessment identified 21 studies that would be required for this project under 14 categories in order to complete the NEPA review process. The completion of these comprehensive baseline studies represents over two years of dedicated efforts and engagement of many third-party, expert firms. These studies span a wide range of critical areas, including biological, ecological, hydrological, geological, cultural, socio-economical, and others. These baseline studies form a foundation for predicting the mine’s potential impacts, and subsequent NEPA analyses.
After over two years of efforts, ABTC has now announced that all of these studies have been completed and reports submitted for review. This step was a critical prerequisite for initiating the formal NEPA review phase, marking a significant milestone in ABTC’s permitting journey for the TFLP.
“I am extremely proud of the ABTC team and all of our consultants that helped to drive these 21 studies to completion over the past several years,” stated ABTC CEO Ryan Melsert. “These efforts required meticulous planning and execution to ensure that we captured the full scope of environmental, cultural, and technical considerations for this critical project. The completion of these analyses and studies is a testament to our commitment to responsible and diligent development of this critical mineral resource to enable Increased American Mineral Production in response to President Trump’s recent call to action.”
In June 2025, ABTC’s TFLP was selected by the FAST-41 Permitting Council and the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) as a Transparency Priority Project in accordance with President Trump’s March 20th Executive Order “Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production” in order to “identify priority projects that can be immediately approved or for which permits can be immediately issued, and take all necessary or appropriate actions within the agency’s authority to expedite and issue the relevant permits or approvals.” The project has since been upgraded to a “Covered Priority Project.”
In addition to the submitted baseline studies, ABTC has submitted a comprehensive Mine Plan of Operations (MPO) for the TFLP which is currently under review by the BLM. The company is now preparing for the next phases of the development process which include the release of the Pre-Feasibility Study providing further detailed analyses of the technical and economic performance and feasibility of the TFLP, further solidifying its potential as a cornerstone of domestic critical mineral lithium production.
As the company progresses in the development of the TFLP, ABTC remains deeply committed to fostering strong collaborative relationships with local communities, tribal organizations, and other stakeholders. Outreach efforts will focus on disseminating project updates, gathering stakeholder feedback, and ensuring that diverse perspectives are integrated into the permitting and development process.
About Tonopah Flats Lithium Project
The TFLP by ABTC is one of the largest known lithium claystone resource deposits in the United States, located in Big Smoky Valley near Tonopah, Nevada. Spanning over 10,340 acres, the project holds 21.15 million tons of accessible lithium hydroxide monohydrate and is supported by ABTC’s proprietary selective leach extraction (SLE) process, which offers a lower-cost, resource efficient alternative to conventional extraction and refining methods.
ABTC has achieved significant milestones in advancing its lithium extraction and processing technologies. In January 2021, ABTC was awarded a competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to construct and operate a multi-tonne per day integrated system to demonstrate its novel claystone to lithium hydroxide technologies. ABTC engaged one of the premier global construction firms, Black & Veatch, for the engineering, procurement, and construction of this 30,000-tonnes-per-year commercial-scale lithium hydroxide refinery to be constructed directly on the TFLP mining claims.
In 2025, ABTC’s Tonopah Flats Project was approved as a FAST-41 Covered Project by the U.S. Permitting Council, and received a
About American Battery Technology Company
American Battery Technology Company (ABTC), headquartered in Reno, Nevada, has pioneered first-of-kind technologies to unlock domestically manufactured and recycled battery metals critically needed to help meet the significant demand from the electric vehicle, stationary storage, data center and artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics industries. Committed to a circular supply chain for battery metals, ABTC works to continually innovate and master new battery metals technologies that power a global transition to electrification and the future of sustainable energy.
Inferred Resource
Inferred Mineral Resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological uncertainty associated with an Inferred Mineral Resource is too high to apply relevant technical and economic factors likely to influence the prospects of economic extraction in a manner useful for evaluation of economic viability. Because an Inferred Mineral Resource has the lowest level of geological confidence of all mineral resources, which prevents the application of the modifying factors in a manner useful for evaluation of economic viability, an Inferred Mineral Resource may not be considered when assessing the economic viability of a mining project, and may not be converted to a mineral reserve.
Indicated Resource
Indicated Mineral Resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of adequate geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological certainty associated with an Indicated Mineral Resource is sufficient to allow a qualified person to apply modifying factors in sufficient detail to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Because an Indicated Mineral Resource has a lower level of confidence than the level of confidence of a Measured Mineral Resource, an Indicated Mineral Resource may only be converted to a Probable Mineral Reserve.
Measured Resource
Measured Mineral Resource is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of conclusive geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological certainty associated with a Measured Mineral Resource is sufficient to allow a qualified person to apply modifying factors, as defined in this section, in sufficient detail to support detailed mine planning and final evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Because a Measured Mineral Resource has a higher level of confidence than the level of confidence of either an Indicated Mineral Resource or an Inferred Mineral Resource, a Measured Mineral Resource may be converted to a Proven Mineral Reserve or to a Probable Mineral Reserve.
Pre-Feasibility Study
A Preliminary Feasibility Study (or Pre-Feasibility Study) is a comprehensive study of a range of options for the technical and economic viability of a mineral project that has advanced to a stage where a qualified person has determined (in the case of underground mining) a preferred mining method, or (in the case of surface mining) a pit configuration, and in all cases has determined an effective method of mineral processing and an effective plan to sell the product. A Pre-Feasibility Study includes a financial analysis based on reasonable assumptions, based on appropriate testing, about the modifying factors and the evaluation of any other relevant factors that are sufficient for a qualified person to determine if all or part of the Indicated and Measured Mineral Resources may be converted to mineral reserves at the time of reporting. The financial analysis must have the level of detail necessary to demonstrate, at the time of reporting, that extraction is economically viable. A Pre-Feasibility Study is less comprehensive and results in a lower confidence level than a feasibility study. A Pre-Feasibility study is more comprehensive and results in a higher confidence level than an Initial Assessment.
Initial Assessment
An Initial Assessment is a preliminary technical and economic study of the economic potential of all or parts of mineralization to support the disclosure of mineral resources. The Initial Assessment must be prepared by a qualified person and must include appropriate assessments of reasonably assumed technical and economic factors, together with any other relevant operational factors, that are necessary to demonstrate at the time of reporting that there are reasonable prospects for economic extraction. An Initial Assessment is required for disclosure of mineral resources but cannot be used as the basis for disclosure of mineral reserves. An Initial Assessment is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied that would enable them to be classified as mineral reserves. There is no certainty that the economic results of an initial assessment will be realized. The mineral resource estimates presented in the ABTC Tonopah Flats Initial Assessment were performed by third-party, qualified person RESPEC, LLC and were classified by geological and quantitative confidence in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Regulation S-K 1300.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking statements." Although the American Battery Technology Company's (the "Company") management believes that such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that such expectations are, or will be, correct. Forward looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning: offtake agreements with customers; the Company’s future sales of products to customers, including the amounts, timing, and types of products included within those sales; potential loans, grants, and debt financing arrangements, including due diligence, the amount and type of debt, its syndication, and the schedule for closing; the scale of the battery recycling operations; the anticipated production from the integrated pilot facility; the scale, construction, and operation of the battery recycling operations, integrated pilot facility, Tonopah Flats Lithium Project, and commercial lithium mine and refinery; and the costs, schedules, production and economic projections associated with the foregoing. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, which could cause the Company's future results to differ materially from those anticipated. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks and uncertainties related to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern; interpretations or reinterpretations of geologic information, unfavorable exploration results, inability to obtain permits required for future exploration, development or production, general economic conditions and conditions affecting the industries in which the Company operates; the uncertainty of regulatory requirements and approvals; fluctuating mineral and commodity prices, final investment approval and the ability to obtain necessary financing on acceptable terms or at all. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is available in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2025. The Company assumes no obligation to update any of the information contained or referenced in this press release.
Tiffiany Moehring American Battery Technology Company 720.254.1556 tmoehring@batterymetals.com
FAQ
What did ABAT announce on October 13, 2025 about the Tonopah Flats Lithium Project?
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What regulatory status did TFLP obtain in June 2025 for ABAT (ABAT)?
Has ABAT filed a Mine Plan of Operations for TFLP and what is its status?
When will ABAT publish the Pre‑Feasibility Study for TFLP?
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