CleanTech Vanadium Welcomes DOE US$1 Billion Initiative to Secure American Critical Minerals and Materials Supply Chain

Rhea-AI Summary

CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp. (OTCQB: CTVFF) welcomes the U.S. Department of Energy's announcement of a nearly $1 billion funding initiative to strengthen domestic critical minerals supply chains. The initiative coincides with the USGS's 2025 List of Critical Minerals, which emphasizes the importance of fluorspar, germanium, gallium, indium, silver, and vanadium.

The company's key assets include the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District (IKFD) projects spanning 8,150 acres, with historical production of 30.3 million tons of raw fluorspar, and the Gibellini vanadium project in Nevada containing 127 million pounds of V2O5 in measured and indicated categories, plus 195 million pounds in inferred resources. The Gibellini project received a positive EIS Record of Decision in October 2023.

Positive

• Potential access to significant DOE funding approaching $1 billion for critical minerals recovery
• Gibellini project contains substantial vanadium resources with favorable 0.4:1 strip ratio
• Company's minerals (fluorspar, vanadium, germanium, gallium) officially recognized as critical by USGS
• Positive EIS Record of Decision received for Gibellini project in October 2023
• Strategic positioning in IKFD with significant historical production and remaining tailings potential

Negative

• Historical production figures are not indicative of future potential production
• No current active production or revenue generation
• Dependent on government funding and initiatives for development

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 15, 2025) - CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp. (TSXV: CTV) (OTCQB: CTVFF) ("CleanTech" or the "Company") is pleased to share that the U.S. Department of Energy ("DOE") announced on August 13, 2025 close to US$1 billion in forthcoming funding to strengthen domestic critical-minerals and materials supply chains, with emphasis on critical minerals recovery from mine tailings and other waste streams. In addition, the U.S. Geological Survey ("USGS") released the 2025 List of Critical Minerals, expanding the list to fifty-four commodities and underscoring the importance of fluorspar, germanium, gallium, indium, silver, and vanadium to supply-disruption risk to the U.S. economy and national security.^1,2

CleanTech intends to pursue DOE (and other federal) funding opportunities with an initial focus on the Company's fluorspar and critical-minerals projects spanning more than 8,150 acres in the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District ("IKFD"). The Department of Defense (DOD) is currently funding research work at Hicks Dome project in southern Illinois at IKFD, approximately 3 km from the Company's fluorspar project located in Empire sub-district in Pope County IL. DOD funding includes support for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Critical Minerals & Materials Center to evaluate the Hicks Dome's rare earth and fluorspar deposit potential and advance process-development studies³.

The IKFD historically produced an estimated 30.3 million tons of raw fluorspar⁴—approximately 90% of total U.S. production during World War II (1939-1945) when national demand for steel was high. A review of the relevant literature indicates that significant mine wastes and tailings remain at the Company's projects and across the IKFD containing fluorspar, germanium, gallium, indium, zinc, lead, and silver. Visible tailings and waste dumps are evident from Company site visits, on Google Maps and LiDAR imagery across the Company's Babb and Tabb projects in the southern part of IKFD. Historical records indicate the Babb Fault System produced approximately 145,335 tons of refined fluorspar grading 38% CaF₂ and 1.5% zinc⁵, while the Tabb Fault System is reported to have produced 2-3 million tons with grade above 30% fluorspar⁶. These production figures suggest substantial tailings and waste materials may remain on site.

Past production at the Babb Fault System and the Tabb Fault System are historic in nature and not indicative of any future potential production or the economic viability of any of the Company's projects in the IKFD.

In addition, the Company's Gibellini vanadium open-pit, heap leach project located in Battle Mountain district in Nevada is estimated to contain 21.3 million tons grading 0.298% V₂O₅ (127 million pounds of vanadium pentoxide) in measured and indicated category, with 31.5 million tons grading 0.31% V₂O₅ (195 million pounds of vanadium pentoxide) in inferred category. The Gibellini project may be fast tracked for federal funding given that the Gibellini pit features a strip ratio of 0.4 to 1, greatly minimizes the mineral extraction cost. The Gibellini project received a positive EIS Record of Decision from the Bureau of Land Management in October 2023. ⁷

DOE US$1 Billion Initiative

The DOE has outlined a multi-track funding effort approaching US$1 billion. Specifically, DOE notices of intent include up to US$500 million from the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains ("MESC") for battery-materials processing, manufacturing and recycling; US$250 million from the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management to by-product recovery at domestic industrial facilities; up to US$135 million under MESC for a Rare Earth Elements Demonstration Facility that will test recovery routes from mine tailings and other waste streams; about US$50 million for a Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator program tied to refining and alloying steps in the magnet and semiconductor chain from The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office; and US$40 million program from The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy to recover critical minerals from industrial wastewater.^8,9,10

The U.S. Geological Survey's 2025 List of Critical Minerals

The U.S. Geological Survey's 2025 List of Critical Minerals, released on August 25, 2025, proposes adding potash, silicon, copper, silver, rhenium, and lead while removing arsenic and tellurium. It also formalizes an economic-effects method that ranks minerals by their probability-weighted impact on U.S. gross domestic product under trade-disruption scenarios.

The USGS' 2025 List of Critical Minerals serves as a technical recommendation to the Department of the Interior, and, after interagency review, public comment, and further assessment, the Secretary of the Interior determines and publishes the final list.¹¹

Fluorspar is ranked number 47 by the USGS on probability-weighted GDP impact, with an estimated US$14 million net decrease in U.S. GDP. Fluorspar is categorized as moderate risk and recommended for inclusion in the final list of critical minerals. U.S. fluorspar demand is driven by hydrofluoric acid production for uranium enrichment, battery electrolyte production, semiconductors, refrigerants, fluoropolymers, aluminum, and defense, while domestic supply remains almost non-existent. Therefore, recovering fluorspar from legacy mine tailings is strongly aligned with U.S. supply-chain goals. CleanTech's review of historical records indicates a material inventory of legacy tailings across the IKFD that may host fluorspar, silver, germanium, gallium, and indium, making it a strong candidate for a DOE-focused US$1 billion initiative to remediate tailings and recover critical minerals.¹²

Vanadium is ranked number 23, with an estimated US$92 million net decrease in U.S. GDP. Vanadium is categorized as elevated risk by USGS and recommended for inclusion in the final list of critical minerals. U.S. vanadium consumption is driven by high-strength steel products with an accelerating grid-storage demand via vanadium redox flow batteries. With limited primary domestic production, the DOE plan is to grow U.S. production and processing capacity so that both battery-grade electrolyte feed and ferrovanadium can be sourced at home in the United States. CleanTech's plan to advance U.S. vanadium production and processing through the development of its Gibellini vanadium project is designed to meet that need. ¹³

Germanium and gallium are ranked numbers 7 and 6, respectively, by the USGS, with estimated probability-weighted net decreases in U.S. GDP of US$814 million and US$1.4 billion, and both are categorized high risk and recommended for inclusion in the final list of critical minerals. Germanium and gallium U.S. exposure is especially acute because it is essential to fiber optics, infrared optics, and advanced semiconductors and features extensively in the USGS disruption modeling. Germanium and gallium are present in sphalerite-rich zones of the company's Tabb and Babbs projects' tailings, and, with appropriate processing, they could be recovered to provide a U.S. supply and reduce dependence on imports.¹⁴

Qualified Person

The technical contents of this news release have been prepared under the supervision of Carlos Zamora, is a member of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) and a Certified Professional Geologist (CPG) since 2024. Mr. Zamora is an independent qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp.

CleanTech is a mining company focused on critical mineral resources in the USA. The Company has an option to acquire 8,150 acres of mineral rights with historic Fluorspar resources across multiple projects in the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District. CleanTech also owns a 100% interest in the Gibellini Vanadium Mine Project in Nevada.

Further information on CleanTech can be found at www.cleantechvanadium.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
"John Lee"
CEO and Director

For more information about CleanTech, please contact:
Phone: 1.877.664.2535
info@cleantechvanadium.com
www.cleantechvanadium.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is generally identifiable by use of the words "believes," "may," "plans," "will," "anticipates," "intends," "could", "estimates", "expects", "forecasts", "projects" and similar expressions, and the negative of such expressions. Such forward-looking information, which reflects management's expectations regarding CleanTech's future growth, results of operations, performance, business prospects and opportunities, is based on certain factors and assumptions and involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news releases includes but is not limited to: CleanTech pursuing DOE funding opportunities for funding, the presence of substantial tailings and waste at Company's projects located in the IKFD, the details of the DOE spending initiatives, the mineral composition of any tailings across the IKFD, the Company's plans to advance the Gibellini project in order to meet the need for battery-grade electrolyte feed and ferrovanadium, the ability to recover germanium and gallium from the Company's Tabb and Babbs projects' tailings.
Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management of CleanTech at the date the statements are made and are based on a number of assumptions and subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these assumptions are based on factors and events that are not within the control of CleanTech, there is no assurance they will prove to be correct and are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking information involves significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as a guarantee of future performance, events or results, and may not be indicative of whether such events or results will actually be achieved. A number of risks and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results discussed in the forward-looking information, including but not limited to: changes in operating plans; ability to secure sufficient financing to advance the Company's project; conditions impacting the Company's ability to mine at the project, such as unfavorable weather conditions, development of a mine plan, maintaining existing permits and receiving any new permits required for the project, and other conditions impacting mining generally; maintaining cordial business relations with strategic partners and contractual counter-parties; meeting regulatory requirements and changes thereto; risks inherent to mineral resource estimation, including uncertainty as to whether mineral resources will be further developed into mineral reserves; political risk in the jurisdictions where the Company's projects are located; commodity price variation; and general market, industry and economic conditions. Additional risk factors are set out in the Company's latest annual and interim management's discussion and analysis and annual information form (AIF), available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.
Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions by management as of the date of this news release, and there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with any forward-looking information included herein. Readers are cautioned that all forward- looking statements in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information in this news release to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date of this news release, except as required by applicable securities laws.

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¹ https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-announces-actions-secure-american-critical-minerals-and-materials-supply
² https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/ofr20251047
³ https://critical-minerals.prairie.illinois.edu/research/
⁴ https://ilmineswiki.web.illinois.edu/wiki/Circular_604/Geology_of_the_Illinois-Kentucky_Fluorspar_District
⁵ Adamson, R.S., 1993, Summary report on the West Kentucky fluorite-zinc properties, Livingston and Crittenden Counties, Kentucky; Hardin County, Illinois: consulting report for Silverspar Minerals Inc., 32 p.
⁶ Honeywell International, 2012, Project Joust interim report, Livingston & Crittenden Counties, Kentucky: internal report, 47 p
⁷ For more information on the key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate the mineral resource along with the known risks that could materially impact the potential development of the mineral resource please see the technical report entitled "Gibellini Vanadium Project, Eureka Couty and Nye County, Nevada, NI 43-101 Technical Report on Mineral Resources" with an effective date of September 27, 2023 a copy of which was filed on SEDAR on February 13, 2024. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.
⁸ https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-announces-actions-secure-american-critical-minerals-and-materials-supply
⁹ https://netl-exchange.energy.gov/
¹⁰ https://www.hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2025/08/doe-announces-4-new-critical-minerals-funding-opportunities?
¹¹ https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/ofr20251047
¹² https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2025/mcs2025-fluorspar.pdf
¹³ https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/vanadium-statistics-and-information
¹⁴ https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/germanium-statistics-and-information

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/266304

FAQ

What is the size of the DOE funding initiative that CleanTech Vanadium (CTVFF) could access?

The DOE announced nearly $1 billion in funding, including $500 million for battery materials, $250 million for by-product recovery, $135 million for rare earth elements recovery, and additional allocations for specific programs.

How much vanadium resources does CleanTech's Gibellini project contain?

The Gibellini project contains 127 million pounds of vanadium pentoxide in measured and indicated category (21.3M tons at 0.298% V2O5) and 195 million pounds in inferred category (31.5M tons at 0.31% V2O5).

What is the historical significance of CleanTech's Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District?

The IKFD historically produced 30.3 million tons of raw fluorspar, representing approximately 90% of total U.S. production during World War II (1939-1945).

How does the USGS 2025 Critical Minerals List affect CleanTech Vanadium's projects?

The USGS list formally recognizes fluorspar, vanadium, germanium, and gallium as critical minerals, validating the strategic importance of CleanTech's projects and potentially increasing their eligibility for federal funding.

What is the current status of CleanTech's Gibellini vanadium project?

The Gibellini project received a positive EIS Record of Decision from the Bureau of Land Management in October 2023 and features a favorable strip ratio of 0.4 to 1.