Wealth Minerals Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Voith Hydro

Rhea-AI Summary

Wealth Minerals (OTCQB: WMLLF) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Voith Hydro to jointly develop the Pabellón Lithium Project in Chile. Under the agreement, Voith Hydro will acquire a 5% stake in the project through a new joint venture structure.

The project will be held by Kuska Minerals SpA, which is 95% owned by Wealth Minerals and 5% owned by the Quechua Indigenous Community of Ollagüe (CIQO). Voith Hydro will contribute its expertise and partnerships to secure a Special Lithium Operating Contract (CEOL) for potential lithium recovery operations at the Cerro Pabellón thermal power station or development of a separate lithium extraction facility.

Positive

• Strategic partnership with established energy systems company Voith Hydro
• Indigenous community partnership through 5% ownership stake
• Potential access to Direct Lithium Extraction technology
• Progress toward obtaining Special Lithium Operating Contract (CEOL)

Negative

• Complex ownership structure with multiple stakeholders
• Agreement still at MOU stage, not yet finalized
• Requires additional agreements with existing power station operator

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 7, 2025) - Wealth Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: WML) (OTCQB: WMLLF) (SSE: WMLCL) (FSE: EJZN) (the "Company" or "Wealth") announces that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (the "MOU") with Voith Hydro Holding GmbH & Co KG ("Voith Hydro") to develop the Pabellón Lithium Project (see press releases of February 6, 2025 and March 18, 2025) jointly with the Quechua Indigenous Community of Ollagüe ("CIQO") and further partners.

Under the terms of this MOU, Voith Hydro owns 5% of Wealth`s portfolio of mineral exploration licenses in the area. The Pabellón Lithium Project and its respective assets, including the mining rights in the area, will be transferred to Kuska Minerals SpA ("Kuska Minerals"), which is 95% owned by the Company and 5% owned by the Quechua Indigenous Community of Ollagüe (see press release of May 27, 2025). Then a Chilean legal company (the "JV") will be formed whereby Kuska Minerals SpA will own 95% of the Pabellón Lithium Project and Voith Hydro will own the remaining 5%.

Voith Hydro, via this MOU, will bring its know-how and existing partnerships to bear on an application for a CEOL (Special Lithium Operating Contract), which will allow the JV to move forward with potentially developing a lithium recovery circuit on the thermal power generation station "Cerro Pabellón" (see press release of February 6, 2025) subject to reaching an agreement with the existing operator, or eventually developing a separate lithium extraction operation in its mining concessions.

Hendrik van Alphen, Wealth's CEO, said, "In addition to having the CIQO as our partners for any Lithium project in the Salar de Ollague area, we are excited to welcome Voith Hydro as a partner to develop the Pabellón Lithium Project using Direct Lithium Extraction technology together with further partners."

Jan Lüder, Voith Hydro's CEO, said, "We are pleased to support this opportunity in Chile and to contribute our expertise in energy systems that contribute to a renewable energy transition. Having equipped the Los Condores hydropower plant — a project that helped build trusted partnerships in the country — we look forward to working with all Chilean partners on the Pabellón Lithium project."

About Voith Group

Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has around 22,000 employees, sales of €5.2 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.

The Group division Voith Hydro ("VH") The Group Division Voith Hydro is part of the Voith Group and a leading full-line supplier as well as trusted partner for equipping hydropower plants. Voith develops customized, long-term solutions and services for large and small hydro plants all over the world. Its portfolio of products and services covers the entire life cycle and all major components for large and small hydro plants, from generators, turbines, pumps and automation systems, right through to spare parts, maintenance and training services, and digital solutions for intelligent hydropower.

About Wealth Minerals Ltd.

Wealth is a mineral resource company with interests in Canada and Chile. The Company's focus is the acquisition and development of lithium projects in South America.

The Company opportunistically advances battery metal projects where it has a peer advantage in project selection and initial evaluation. Lithium market dynamics and a rapidly increasing metal price are the result of profound structural issues with the industry meeting anticipated future demand. Wealth is positioning itself to be a major beneficiary of this future mismatch of supply and demand. In parallel with lithium market dynamics, Wealth believes other battery metals will benefit from similar industry trends.

For further details on the Company readers are referred to the Company's website (www.wealthminerals.com) and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of

WEALTH MINERALS LTD.

"Hendrik van Alphen"
Hendrik van Alphen
Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:
Marla Ritchie, Michael Pound or Henk van Alphen
Phone: 604-331-0096 or 604-638-3886

For all Investor Relations inquiries, please contact:
John Liviakis
Liviakis Financial Communications Inc.
Phone: 415-389-4670

For all Public Relations inquiries, please contact:
Nancy Thompson
Vorticom, Inc.
Office: 212-532-2208 | Mobile: 917-371-4053

Follow Us:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/WealthMineralsLtd
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wealth-minerals
Twitter - https://www.X.com/WealthMinerals

Neither 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 press release, which has been prepared by management.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated content, commencement, timing and cost of exploration programs, anticipated exploration program results, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, the Company's expectation that it will be able to enter into agreements to acquire interests in additional mineral projects, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the state of the financial markets for the Company's equity securities, the state of the commodity markets generally, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including TSXV acceptance, for its planned activities, the inability of the Company to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis and filed with certain securities commissions in Canada. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedarplus.ca and readers are urged to review these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/257847

FAQ

What is the ownership structure of Wealth Minerals' Pabellón Lithium Project?

The project will be held by Kuska Minerals SpA, which is 95% owned by Wealth Minerals and 5% owned by the Quechua Indigenous Community. A new joint venture will then be formed where Kuska Minerals will own 95% and Voith Hydro will own 5%.

What is Voith Hydro's role in the WMLLF Pabellón Lithium Project?

Voith Hydro will contribute its expertise and partnerships to secure a Special Lithium Operating Contract (CEOL) and support the development of lithium recovery operations using Direct Lithium Extraction technology.

What are the next steps for Wealth Minerals' Pabellón Lithium Project?

The company needs to secure a Special Lithium Operating Contract (CEOL) and either reach an agreement with the existing Cerro Pabellón power station operator or develop a separate lithium extraction operation.

Who are the key partners in Wealth Minerals' Chilean lithium project?

The key partners are Wealth Minerals, Voith Hydro, and the Quechua Indigenous Community of Ollagüe (CIQO).

What type of lithium extraction technology will be used at the Pabellón Project?

The project plans to use Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology, though specific details about the technology implementation have not been disclosed.