E3 Lithium Production Facility Ready for Installation After Key Milestone

CALGARY, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- E3 LITHIUM LTD. (TSXV: ETL) (FSE: OW3) (OTCQX: EEMMF), “E3”, “E3 Lithium” or the “Company,” a leader in Canadian lithium, is pleased to provide a progress update on its Demonstration Facility (“Demo Facility”). The Demo Facility is planned to be brought on stream in three phases through the second half of 2025 and into 2026.

The lithium extraction equipment comprising of the 30-column Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) system (the “30-Column System”), as well as the purification and concentration equipment is now fully fabricated and undergoing final checks. The heart of the lithium production equipment is comprised of five separate skids, each containing a specific operation: Skids one and two host the 30-columns and the value control for the DLE system, skids 3 and 4 host the filtration and purification equipment and skid 5 houses the control center. The skids are expected to arrive and be assembled on site in the Clearwater Project area over the next six to eight weeks. E3 Lithium has also received the sorbent for the DLE columns and completed the majority of the payments for this equipment.

Following arrival on site, the equipment will be assembled and undergo operational and safety checks, followed by final leak checks. Phase 1 will use brine hosted on site for the commissioning and operation of the 30-column system equipment to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate. It is expected that shortly after the drilling of the wells in Phase 2, the production well will be tied directly into the 30-column equipment and operate using a “live” brine feed.

Operation of a fully integrated system will enable E3 Lithium to optimize the process for factors such as recovery and flow rates and will provide important data for use in the design and costing of the commercial facility. The lithium carbonate produced will be used for customer interrogation and to potentially begin pre-qualification.

Each phase of the Demo Facility is an important step towards validating the process technology and E3 Lithium’s ability to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate from Leduc Brines at scale. The key objective of the Demo Facility is to de-risk the project design for E3 Lithium’s full commercial scale Clearwater Project as the Company progresses towards completion of the Feasibility Study and securing of project financing.

“The team is very excited to see the equipment arrive on site,” commented E3 Lithium’s CEO, Chris Doornbos. “The Demo Facility will be one of the few systems of this kind globally to operate at this scale. It is a significant achievement for E3 Lithium to turn this design into a reality, and a major step forward to see it operate in the very near future.”

Preparation for Phase 3 will increase as the first phase begins field operations and is expected to be installed in early 2026.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chris Doornbos, President & CEO
E3 Lithium Ltd.

About E3 Lithium

E3 Lithium is a development company with a total of 16.2 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) Measured and Indicated¹ as well as 0.9 million tonnes LCE Inferred mineral resources² in Alberta and 2.5 million tonnes LCE Inferred mineral resources³ in Saskatchewan. The Clearwater Pre-Feasibility Study outlined a 1.13 Mt LCE proven and probable mineral reserve with a pre-tax NPV8% of USD 5.2 Billion with a 29.2% IRR and an after-tax NPV8% of USD 3.7 Billion with a 24.6% IRR¹.

1: The Clearwater Project NI 43-101 Pre-Feasibility Study, effective June 20, 2024, is available on the E3 Lithium’s website (www.e3lithium.ca/technical-reports/) and SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca).

2: The mineral resource NI 43-101 Technical Report for the North Rocky Property, effective October 27, 2017, identified 0.9 Mt LCE (inferred) and is available on the E3 Lithium’s website (www.e3lithium.ca/technical-reports/) and SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca).

3: The mineral resource NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Estevan Lithium District, effective May 23, 2024, identified 2.5 Mt LCE (inferred) and is available on the E3 Lithium’s website (www.e3lithium.ca/technical-reports/) and SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca).

Unless otherwise indicated, Kevin Carroll, P. Eng., Chief Development Officer and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and is responsible for the technical information contained on this news release.

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements as well as management’s objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are frequently identified by such words as “believe”, “may”, “will”, “plan”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “intend”, “project”, “potential”, “possible” and similar words referring to future events and results. Forward-looking statements are based on the current opinions, expectations, estimates and assumptions of management in light of its experience, perception of historical trends, and results of the PFS, but such statements are not guarantees of future performance. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information relating to: the estimated mineral resources and mineral resources at the Clearwater Project; expectations regarding the PFS, including statements regarding the results of the PFS and interpretations thereof; expectations concerning the Clearwater Project, including extraction, production, pretreatment, purification, volume reduction and conversion process and features and the expected outcomes thereof; the expected economic performance of the Clearwater Project, including capital costs, operating costs, water usage, land use and carbon emissions; statements regarding the Company’s strategy for minimizing environmental impact and liquid waste and maximizing water reuse, with no planned tailings or waste piles; the potential for a secondary revenue stream should the Company be able to sell the calcium carbonate generated during the production of lithium hydroxide; plans and objectives of management for the Company’s operations and the Clearwater Project; and the inherent hazards associated with mineral exploration and mining operations. In preparing the forward-looking information in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, that any additional financing needed will be available on reasonable terms; the exchange rates for the U.S. and Canadian currencies will be consistent with the Company’s expectations; that the current exploration, development, environmental and other objectives concerning the Clearwater Project can be achieved and that its other corporate activities will proceed as expected; that the current price and demand for lithium will be sustained or will improve; that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner and that all necessary governmental approvals for the planned activities on the Clearwater Project will be obtained in a timely manner and on acceptable terms; the continuity of the price of lithium.

All forward-looking information (including future-orientated financial information) is inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, the effectiveness and feasibility of emerging lithium extraction technologies which have not yet been tested or proven on a commercial scale or on the Company’s brine, risks related to the availability of financing on commercially reasonable terms and the expected use of proceeds; operations and contractual obligations; changes in estimated mineral reserves or mineral resources; future prices of lithium and other metals; availability of third party contractors; availability of equipment; failure of equipment to operate as anticipated; accidents, effects of weather and other natural phenomena and other risks associated with the mineral exploration industry; the Company’s lack of operating revenues; currency fluctuations; risks related to dependence on key personnel; estimates used in financial statements proving to be incorrect; competitive risks and the availability of financing, as described in more detail in our recent securities filings available under the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and we caution against placing undue reliance thereon. We assume no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.