Fortune Minerals Extends Option to Acquire Alberta Refinery Site for the NICO Critical Minerals Project

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Fortune Minerals Limited (TSX: FT) (OTCQB: FTMDF) (" Fortune " or the " Company ") ( www.fortuneminerals.com ) has secured an additional extension to the option to purchase the JFSL Field Services ULC (" JFSL ") brownfield industrial site in Lamont County, Alberta (see news release dated January 24, 2022). Fortune plans to construct a hydrometallurgical refinery at this site to process concentrates from the Company's NICO cobalt-gold-bismuth-copper critical minerals deposit and planned mine and concentrator in the Northwest Territories (" NWT ") (collectively, "the NICO Project "). The NICO Project would produce three metals identified on Canada's Critical Minerals List needed in the energy transition and new technologies, being cobalt, bismuth and copper. In addition to the Critical Minerals, the Mineral Reserves for the NICO deposit also contains more than one million ounces of gold.

Fortune can maintain the refinery site option under the same terms and conditions that are currently in place (see news release dated July 27, 2023) and acquire the facilities for C$5.5 million before March 31, 2024. JFSL's has the right to solicit competing offers for the facility during the option period, subject to Fortune's right to complete its purchase at the end of each month of extension at the agreed purchase price and/or exercise its right of first refusal to match the competing offer.

Fortune closed a private placement of 22,000,000 units in late December 2023 to fund a metallurgical test work program to validate some process optimizations and provide additional information for detailed engineering. The units were issued at a price of C$0.04 per unit to raise gross proceeds of C$880,000 with each unit consisting of one common share issued on a flow-through basis and one half of a share purchase warrant exercisable at a price of C$0.07 per full warrant for a period of 24 months after closing. Fortune is waiting for the government ice road from Whati to Gameti to open, which would enable the Company to truck ore samples from its existing stockpiles at the NICO site to SGS Canada Inc. in Lakefield, Ontario for the planned test work program.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of any of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities will not be and have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or applicable exemption from the registration requirements.

For more detailed information about the NICO Mineral Reserves and certain technical information in this news release, please refer to the Technical Report on the NICO Project, entitled "Technical Report on the Feasibility Study for the NICO-Gold-Cobalt-Bismuth-Copper Project, Northwest Territories, Canada", dated April 2, 2014 and prepared by Micon International Limited which has been filed on SEDAR and is available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. The disclosure of scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been approved by Robin Goad, M.Sc., P.Geo., President and Chief Executive Officer of Fortune, who is a "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101.

About Fortune Minerals:
Fortune is a Canadian mining company focused on developing the NICO cobalt-gold-bismuth-copper critical minerals project in the NWT and Alberta. Fortune also owns the satellite Sue-Dianne copper-silver-gold deposit located 25 km north of the NICO Deposit and is a potential future source of incremental mill feed to extend the life of the NICO mill and concentrator.

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This press release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. This forward-looking information includes statements with respect to, among other things, the exercise by the Company of its option to purchase of the JFSL site, the successful construction and completion of the proposed hydrometallurgical refinery at the JFSL site, and the Company's plans to develop the NICO Project, including the successful the development and construction of the planned NICO cobalt-gold-bismuth-copper mine and concentrator. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management as well as certain assumptions at the date the information is given (including, in respect of the forward-looking information contained in this press release, assumptions regarding: the successful completion of the Company's due diligence investigations on the JFSL site, the Company's ability to secure the necessary financing to fund the exercise of the option and complete the purchase of the JFSL site, the Company's ability to complete construction of a NICO Project refinery; the Company's ability to arrange the necessary financing to continue operations and develop the NICO Project; the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals for the construction and operation of the NICO Project, including the planned NICO cobalt-gold-bismuth-copper mine and concentrator and the timing thereof; growth in the demand for cobalt; the time required to construct the NICO Project; and the economic environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of gold, cobalt and other by-product metals, anticipated costs and the volumes of metals to be produced at the NICO Project). However, such forward-looking information is 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 information. These factors include the risks that global geopolitical situations may interfere with the Company's ability to continue development of the NICO Project, the Company may not be able to complete the purchase of the JFSL site and secure a site for the construction of a refinery, the Company may not be able to finance and develop NICO on favourable terms or at all, uncertainties with respect to the receipt or timing of required permits, approvals and agreements for the development of the NICO Project, including the related hydrometallurgical refinery, the construction of the NICO Project may take longer than anticipated, the Company may not be able to secure offtake agreements for the metals to be produced at the NICO Project, the Sue-Dianne Property may not be developed to the point where it can provide mill feed to the NICO Project, the inherent risks involved in the exploration and development of mineral properties and in the mining industry in general, the market for products that use cobalt or bismuth may not grow to the extent anticipated, the future supply of cobalt and bismuth may not be as limited as anticipated, the risk of decreases in the market prices of cobalt, bismuth and other metals to be produced by the NICO Project, discrepancies between actual and estimated Mineral Resources or between actual and estimated metallurgical recoveries, uncertainties associated with estimating Mineral Resources and Reserves and the risk that even if such Mineral Resources prove accurate the risk that such Mineral Resources may not be converted into Mineral Reserves once economic conditions are applied, the Company's production of cobalt, bismuth and other metals may be less than anticipated and other operational and development risks, market risks and regulatory risks. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information because it is possible that predictions, forecasts, projections and other forms of forward-looking information will not be achieved by the Company. The forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise it to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240201003992/en/

For further information please contact:
Fortune Minerals Limited
Troy Nazarewicz
Investor Relations Manager
info@fortuneminerals.com
Tel: (519) 858-8188
www.fortuneminerals.com

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Altech Batteries Ltd Comprehensive Review of Operations and Half Year Report

Perth, Australia (ABN Newswire) - Altech Batteries Ltd (ASX:ATC) (FRA:A3Y) (OTCMKTS:ALTHF) is pleased to present a comprehensive review of its operations for the six months ending 31 December 2024. This period has been marked by significant achievements and strategic advancements across various facets of the Company.

CERENERGY(R) Salt Battery Project:

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Altech, through its Germany subsidiary Altech Batteries GmbH ("ABG"), announced the appointment of global big four professional services firm ("funding adviser") to assist in securing finance for the construction of Altech's 120MWh CERENERGY(R) battery manufacturing plant in Germany. The project's financing strategy is structured across three key areas: debt, equity, and grants.

These sources will cover not only the capital expenditures but also financing costs, working capital, debt service coverage, and an additional contingency for potential business interruptions.

Altech announced the execution of the first Offtake Letter of Intent between Zweckverband Industriepark Schwarze Pumpe (ZISP) and Altech Batteries GmbH. Under this Offtake Letter of Intent (LOI), ZISP will purchase 30MWh of energy storage capacity annually, consisting of 1MWh GridPacks, for the first five years of production. The price of these batteries has been agreed and aligned to Altech's Definitive Feasibility Study assumptions. The purchase of these batteries is subject to performance tests, battery specifications and the batteries meeting customer requirements. This offtake LOI constitutes an important aspect of the financing process.

Altech announced the execution of a second Offtake Letter of Intent between Referenzkraftwerk Lausitz GmbH (RefLau) and Altech Batteries GmbH. Reflau is a joint venture between utility companies Enertrag SE (Enerttag) and Energiequelle GmbH.

Under this Offtake Letter of Intent (LOI), RefLau will purchase 30 MWh of CERENERGY(R) energy storage capacity in the first year, then 32 MWh per year thereafter for the next four years of production. As part of the LOI, it was further agreed that Altech will purchase green electricity at competitive prices directly from the partners in the region for the planned production plant.

Altech announced the execution of a third offtake Heads of Agreement (HOA) between Axsol GmbH (Axsol) and Altech Batteries GmbH. Axsol is a leading, award-winning provider of integrated renewable energy solutions and is based in Germany. Axsol leverages its expertise in diverse battery technologies and systems, alongside specialised equipment, to seamlessly integrate solar, wind, hydrogen energy and fuel cell solutions. These advanced energy systems ensure safe and reliable energy supply across multiple industries. Altech has entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Axsol to supply the western defence industry with CERENERGY(R) battery technology. As a certified supplier to NATO and select western allied forces, Axsol's involvement will streamline qualification procedures, enabling early market entry and sales of CERENERGY(R) batteries. These highly robust, durable and non-flammable batteries are ideally suited for defence applications and government agencies.

Silumina AnodesTM Battery Materials Project:

Altech achieved a remarkable milestone in its Silumina AnodesTM battery material technology. The Company announced an average 55% surge in lithium battery anode energy capacity, marking a significant breakthrough. By utilising its innovative proprietary technology, Altech has now improved on the previous 30% energy increase, by blending alumina-coated silicon particles (10%) with battery-grade graphite, to create a composite graphite/silicon anode for the lithium-ion battery electrode.

Upon activation, this composite material has now exhibited a remarkable 55% increase in capacity compared to the traditional graphite-only anode material.

Update of High Purity Alumina Project

Stage 1 and Stage 2 construction of the Johor HPA plant is completed. The project is currently on care and maintenance.

*To view the full report, please visit:
https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/54726BT2

About Altech Batteries Ltd:

Altech Batteries Limited (ASX:ATC) (FRA:A3Y) is a specialty battery technology company that has a joint venture agreement with world leading German battery institute Fraunhofer IKTS ("Fraunhofer") to commercialise the revolutionary CERENERGY(R) Sodium Alumina Solid State (SAS) Battery. CERENERGY(R) batteries are the game-changing alternative to lithium-ion batteries. CERENERGY(R) batteries are fire and explosion-proof; have a life span of more than 15 years and operate in extreme cold and desert climates. The battery technology uses table salt and is lithium-free; cobalt-free; graphite-free; and copper-free, eliminating exposure to critical metal price rises and supply chain concerns.

The joint venture is commercialising its CERENERGY(R) battery, with plans to construct a 100MWh production facility on Altech's land in Saxony, Germany. The facility intends to produce CERENERGY(R) battery modules to provide grid storage solutions to the market.

News Provided by ABN Newswire via QuoteMedia

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