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Demonstration Plant Commissioning Targeted for H2 2026; Company's Chlor-Alkali Process Uses Salt-Based Reagents with No Direct Exposure to Rising Global Sulfur and Sulfuric Acid Prices
Century Lithium Corp. (TSXV: LCE,OTC:CYDVF) (OTCQX: CYDVF) (Frankfurt: C1Z) ("Century Lithium" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the relocation of its Lithium Extraction Facility ("Demonstration Plant") to the Company's site in Tonopah, Nevada, USA. Current market conditions also highlight the competitive advantage of the Company's 100%-owned Angel Island lithium project ("Angel Island") in Esmeralda County, Nevada and its integrated chlor-alkali process as global sulfur and sulfuric acid prices rise.
"During the last five years, Century Lithium developed an integrated process flowsheet that successfully produced battery-grade lithium carbonate from Angel Island claystone. The patent-pending process uses salt, rather than sulfur-derived reagents, which distinguishes Angel Island from spodumene and most sedimentary lithium projects globally," said Bill Willoughby, President and CEO of Century Lithium. "Moving the Demonstration Plant to Tonopah lets us show the operating benefits of our chlor-alkali process at a moment when sulfur demand and related reagent costs are rising. Our process was designed for its compatibility with our Angel Island lithium deposit and regionally obtainable resources. As pressures on international supply chains increase, that advantage becomes increasingly meaningful for our shareholders and future customers."
Demonstration Plant: Progress and Planned Work at Tonopah
The Demonstration Plant operated at the Company's Amargosa Valley facility for five years, producing battery-grade lithium carbonate and validating the integrated chlor-alkali flowsheet for Angel Island. Relocation to Tonopah is proceeding as planned. Equipment relocation, construction of a new process building, and application for a Nevada Water Pollution Control Permit are all in progress, with commissioning targeted for the second half of 2026.
Upon completion, the Company plans to conduct structured metallurgical testing per the recommendations of the 2026 Feasibility Study (described below), including full test runs on claystone zones 1 and 2. Bench-scale testing reported in the Feasibility Study indicates the deeper claystone performs as well as, or better than, the bulk samples of surface material used in earlier runs. The Company also plans to evaluate improvements to leaching, direct lithium extraction ("DLE"), and lithium carbonate and hydroxide production.
The Demonstration Plant will also serve as a showcase of salt-based lithium extraction for government agencies, community stakeholders, and potential funding partners. The Company is pursuing federal critical-minerals funding opportunities, including evaluation of the potential recovery of additional critical elements from Angel Island leach solutions as identified in the Feasibility Study.
Century Lithium's Chlor-Alkali Process: Salt as the Foundation
Angel Island is built around a patent-pending chlor-alkali process in which hydrochloric acid ("HCl") and sodium hydroxide ("NaOH") are generated on-site from sodium chloride ("NaCl") and electricity. HCl leaches lithium from Angel Island claystone; NaOH provides pH control throughout leaching, filtration, and DLE. Both reagents are continuously regenerated as co-products of the electrolytic cells, closing the loop and eliminating reliance on external acid supply chains.
The process does not use sulfuric acid and produces no sulfate by-products. The primary inputs are NaCl and electricity which are stable, domestically available, and structurally uncorrelated to sulfur markets. As set out in the 2026 Feasibility Study, NaOH surplus to process requirements, which is expected to be significant, available for sale as an economic by-product.
Global Sulfur Market Conditions: Why the Process Design Matters Now
Global sulfur markets are experiencing an extraordinary dislocation with direct consequences for agriculture and basic industries including metals. China's spot sulfur price of US$950/tonne represents a 283% increase from approximately US$248/t in January 2025.1 In the United States, Tampa contract sulfur prices have surged from US$69 per long ton at the start of 2024 to a projected US$475 to $520 per long ton under Q1 2026 contracts, an increase of approximately 600% in under two years.2 U.S. sulfuric acid prices have followed, rising from US$85 per tonne in early 2024 to US$146 per tonne by March 2026.3
2026 Feasibility Study
The 2026 Feasibility Study on Angel Island, prepared by Mineral Property Development, LLC ("MPDI"), Global Resource Engineering, Ltd. ("GRE") and SRK Incorporated ("SRK") in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101), confirms that the chlor-alkali process's structural insulation from these supply chain forces underpins strong project economics with an after-tax NPV of US$4.01 billion and average operating costs of US$4,389/t of lithium carbonate.
The complete NI 43-101 technical report has been filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Investors are encouraged to read the technical report in its entirety for all material assumptions and qualifying factors.
Qualified Person
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Todd S. Fayram, MMSA-QP, Chief Technical Officer of Century Lithium, a non-independent Qualified Person under NI 43-101.
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1 SunSirs, "Pressure on the Sulphur Industry Chain Mounts Sharply," 16 April 2026. |
2 U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025, "Sulfur"; Argus Media, "Viewpoint: Sulfur costs to support amsul prices in 2026," 2 January 2026. |
3 IMARC Group, Sulphuric Acid Prices, Trend, Chart, Index and Forecast, Q1 2026. |
ABOUT Century Lithium CORP.
Century Lithium Corp. is an advanced-stage lithium development company focused on its 100%-owned Angel Island lithium project in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Angel Island hosts one of the largest known sedimentary lithium deposits in the United States and is designed with an integrated, end-to-end process for the on-site production of battery-grade lithium carbonate to support the electric vehicle and battery storage markets.
The Company has developed a patent-pending process that incorporates hydrochloric acid leaching combined with direct lithium extraction to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate. As part of the integrated chlor-alkali process, Angel Island is designed to produce sodium hydroxide as a co-product, with planned surplus sales expected to lower operating costs, reduce reliance on externally sourced reagents, and minimize environmental impacts.
Century Lithium is currently advancing Angel Island through the permitting process.
Century Lithium trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "LCE" the OTCQX under the symbol "CYDVF", and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "C1Z".
To learn more, please visit centurylithium.com.
ON BEHALF OF Century Lithium CORP.
WILLIAM WILLOUGHBY, PhD., PE
President & Chief Executive Officer
NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" and similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or statements regarding an outlook.
Forward-looking statements relate to any matters that are not historical facts and statements of our beliefs, intentions and expectations about developments, results and events which will or may occur in the future, without limitation, statements with respect to the potential development and value of the Project and benefits associated therewith, statements with respect to the expected project economics for the Project, such as estimates of life of mine, lithium prices, production and recoveries, capital and operating costs, IRR, NPV and cash flows, any projections outlined in the Feasibility Study in respect of the Project, the permitting status of the Project and the Company's future development plans.
These and other forward-looking statements and information are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the ability of the Company to control or predict, that may cause their actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied thereby, and are developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out herein. These risks include those described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent annual information form and its other public filings, copies of which can be under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update-forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Furthermore, Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.
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SOURCE Century Lithium Corp.
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