FPX Nickel Produces Battery-Grade Nickel Sulphate and Successfully Completes Pilot-Scale Refinery Testwork

FPX Nickel Corp. (TSXV: FPX) (OTCQB: FPOCF) (" FPX " or the " Company ") is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed pilot-scale hydrometallurgy refinery testwork and produced battery-grade nickel sulphate from its Baptiste Nickel Project (" Baptiste " or the " Project "). Following on the Company's successful 2023 bench-scale hydrometallurgy refining testwork program, the 2024 pilot plant represents a significant step forward in demonstrating the technical maturity of refining Baptiste's awaruite concentrate. This milestone marks completion of the campaign funded in part by a grant from Natural Resources Canada (" NRCan ") under the Government of Canada's Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration (" CMRDD ") program, which is advancing the commercial readiness of processing technologies to support the development of Canada's EV battery material supply chain.

Highlights

Successful Pilot-Scale Testwork: Continuous pilot-scale testing of all leaching unit operations confirmed the refinery flowsheet and generated the expected low-impurity leach solution for downstream purification and crystallization testwork
Flowsheet Optimization: Testwork has led to flowsheet improvement through the removal of unit operations in the leaching area that proved redundant during continuous, steady-state piloting
Production of Battery-Grade Nickel Sulphate: Bench-scale testing of solution purification and crystallization unit operations further demonstrate FPX Nickel's ability to produce battery-grade nickel sulphate crystals from Baptiste's awaruite concentrate

"The results of our hydrometallurgy refinery pilot plant testwork confirm the technical advantages of awaruite nickel mineralization to produce battery-grade nickel sulphate, further demonstrating the opportunity to develop a more streamlined nickel supply chain entirely in Canada ," commented Andrew Osterloh , FPX Nickel's Senior Vice-President, Projects & Operations. "Baptiste would represent an almost 50% increase to Canada's current annual nickel production, all without adding to or displacing any of Canada's nickel smelting or complex refinery capacity, thereby pioneering a uniquely low-cost, low-carbon link between mining and EV battery production. The results from our pilot plant testwork are currently being incorporated into our Awaruite Refinery Scoping Study, which will contain a detailed evaluation of capital, operating costs and the overall economics of the awaruite refinery; the Study remains on track for completion in the first quarter of 2025."

Background

As reported in the Company's news release dated April 30, 2024 , FPX operated a mineral processing pilot plant earlier this year and successfully generated awaruite concentrate to feed a downstream hydrometallurgical refining pilot plant (the " 2024 Hydromet Program "). FPX re-engaged Sherritt Technologies Ltd. to conduct the 2024 Hydromet Program, building on Sherritt's successful completion of the previous bench-scale hydrometallurgical testwork in 2023 (the " 2023 Hydromet Program ", described in the Company's May 17, 2023 news release).

Building on the 2023 Hydromet Program, the 2024 Hydromet Program aimed to further demonstrate the viability of FPX's refinery flowsheet under pilot-scale and continuous operating conditions. Additionally, the 2024 Hydromet Program also aimed to validate the new ammonia-based purification flowsheet, as discussed in the Company's news release dated September 16, 2024 .

Hydrometallurgical Refinery Pilot Plant

The 2024 Hydromet Program was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 consisted of continuous, pilot-scale processing of all unit operations in the leaching area as outlined in Figure 2. Phase 2 consisted of batch, bench-scale processing of all unit operations in the purification and crystallization area. A portion of leach solution produced during Phase 1 has been reserved for future continuous, pilot-scale processing of the purification and crystallization area, ensuring the final refinery strategy is supported by purification and crystallization requirements defined in collaboration with FPX Nickel's downstream partners.

Leaching Area

Continuous, pilot-scale leaching ran for five days and was fed with the high-grade (60% Ni) awaruite concentrate produced during the earlier mineral processing pilot plant. The flowsheet configuration and operating conditions were the same as the 2023 Hydromet Program, with pressure leaching conducted at a moderate temperature (150°C) and pressure (750 kPag). The key performance metrics established at the start of the pilot plant campaign were to obtain high overall nickel and cobalt leach extractions while generating a final leach solution with high nickel and low impurity concentrations.

These key performance metrics are summarized in Table 1, which also presents the basis of the previous economic study (see the Company's news release dated September 6, 2023 ). In the pressure leach, excellent nickel and cobalt overall leach extractions were achieved at 99.3% and 97.9%, respectively. These high extractions include the unoptimized start-up period, highlighting the robustness of the leach system.

In the atmospheric leach (which utilizes awaruite to neutralize and purify the pressure leach solution), excellent impurity removal was achieved, including the near-complete removal of iron, aluminum, chromium and copper. The final leach solution contained greater than 100 g/L nickel, which is very high by industry standards and will reduce the capital and operating costs for downstream purification and crystallization unit operations. The impurity elements of zinc, manganese, and calcium are all low due to the inherent low concentration of these impurities in Baptiste's awaruite concentrate.

Table 1 – Leaching area key performance metrics achieved during piloting

	Pilot Plant Results	Previous Study Basis
Overall Leach Extractions
Nickel (%)	99.3	99.3
Cobalt (%)	97.9	99.5
Final Leach Solution Composition
pH	5.5	>4.5
Nickel (g/L)	104	95
Cobalt (g/L)	2.1	1.5
Magnesium (g/L)	1.6	1.5
Iron (g/L)
Aluminium (g/L)
Chromium (g/L)
Copper (g/L)
Zinc (g/L)	0.01
Manganese (g/L)	0.01
Calcium (g/L)	0.01

In addition to the core leaching operations, the leaching area also includes two smaller circuits to manage build-up of certain trace elements, including copper removal and aluminum/chromium removal. The copper removal circuit, which removes copper by a cementation process, was successfully operated during piloting. Aluminum and chromium were both shown to deport with pressure leach residue, supporting the deletion of this slipstream removal circuit, thereby simplifying the overall leach flowsheet.

Additionally, solid-liquid separation characterization testing was completed on both pressure leach and atmospheric leach residues, with reasonable settling and filtration rates observed for both. These results will inform dewatering equipment sizing and specifications in the ongoing Awaruite Refinery Scoping Study.

Purification and Crystallization

A portion of the bulk solution generated from the leaching area pilot was processed in bench-scale batch testing through cobalt solvent extraction, nickel solvent extraction, and nickel sulphate crystallization. This purification scheme is simpler relative to that required to process other nickel intermediates such as MHP and MSP, with this simplicity made possible by the low impurities contained in, and the neutralization properties of, the awaruite concentrate.

In order to validate the new purification flowsheet developed during Refinery Value Engineering studies (see the Company's news release dated September 16, 2024 ), solvent extraction operations utilized ammonia as the neutralizing reagent (rather than caustic, which was used in the 2023 Hydromet Program). Along with lower operating costs, the change to an ammonia-based flowsheet allows for the production of an ammonium sulphate byproduct, a valuable fertilizer product, instead of the previous sodium sulphate waste product. The new ammonia-based purification unit operations achieved similar successful performance and results as those achieved during the 2023 Hydromet Program, with the produced crystals (see Figure 1 and Table 2) continuing to meet the strict target specifications for battery applications.

Table 2 – Baptiste Nickel Sulphate Crystal Quality vs. Target Specification

Element	Units	Nickel Sulphate Crystals
Element	Units	Baptiste Testwork	Target Specification ¹
Nickel	wt%	>22	>22
Aluminum	ppm
Arsenic	ppm
Calcium	ppm
Cadmium	ppm
Cobalt	ppm	1
Chromium	ppm
Copper	ppm
Iron	ppm
Potassium	ppm
Magnesium	ppm	3
Manganese	ppm
Sodium	ppm
Lead	ppm
Silicon	ppm
Zinc	ppm	3

Note 1: Based on review of industrially available products and battery producers' requirements

Path Forward

With the completion of the hydrometallurgical testwork reported herein, the Company has completed all testing associated with the CMRDD funding provided by NRCan. Refinery testing results are being incorporated into the ongoing Awaruite Refinery Scoping Study, the results of which will be available in the first quarter of 2025.

Qualified Person

The metallurgical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101: Standards of Disclosures for Minerals Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators (" NI 43-101 "). Testwork was supervised, reviewed, and verified by Kyle D. Marte , P.Eng., FPX Nickel's Principal Metallurgist and a "Qualified Person" as defined by NI 43-101.

About the Baptiste Nickel Project

The Company's Baptiste Nickel Project represents a large-scale greenfield discovery of nickel mineralization in the form of a sulphur-free, nickel-iron mineral called awaruite (Ni ₃ Fe) hosted in an ultramafic/ophiolite complex. The Baptiste mineral claims cover an area of 408 km ² , west of Middle River and north of Trembleur Lake, in central British Columbia. In addition to the Baptiste Deposit itself, awaruite mineralization has been confirmed through drilling at several target areas within the same claims package, most notably at the Van Target which is located 6 km to the north of the Baptiste Deposit. Since 2010, approximately US $30 million has been spent on the exploration and development of Baptiste.

The Baptiste deposit is located within the territories, keyohs, and consultative boundaries of the Tl'azt'en Nation, Binche Whut'enne, Yekooche First Nation, and Takla Nation .

About FPX Nickel Corp.

FPX Nickel Corp. is focused on the exploration and development of the Decar Nickel District, located in central British Columbia , and other occurrences of the same unique style of naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy mineralization known as awaruite. For more information, please view the Company's website at https://fpxnickel.com/ or contact Martin Turenne , President and CEO, at (604) 681-8600 or ceo@fpxnickel.com .

On behalf of FPX Nickel Corp.

"Martin Turenne"
Martin Turenne , President, CEO and Director

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain of the statements made and information contained herein is considered "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These statements address future events and conditions and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as disclosed in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Actual results could differ from those currently projected. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE FPX Nickel Corp.

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FPX Nickel and JOGMEC Initiate Exploration at the Expanded Klow Property in British Columbia

FPX Nickel Corp. (TSX-V: FPX) (OTCQB: FPOCF) (" FPX " or the " Company ") is pleased to announce planned exploration activities at the Company's Klow property (" Klow " or the " Property "), located 45 km north of the Company's Baptiste Nickel Project. Exploration will be 100% funded by the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (" JOGMEC ") under the terms of an earn-in agreement which provides JOGMEC the option to earn up to a 60% interest in the Property. The Company has recently expanded the mineral claims at Klow by 600%, bringing the Property to 164 km 2 and is currently preparing a wide-ranging surface rock sampling program over the summer of 2025 with the goal of advancing Klow to drill-ready status.

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FPX Nickel Provides Update on Affiliate Company CO2 Lock Corp.

FPX Nickel Corp. (TSX-V: FPX) (OTCQB: FPOCF) (" FPX " or the " Company ") is pleased to provide an update on the activities of its affiliate company, CO2 Lock Corp. (" CO2 Lock ").

Background

In 2022, FPX announced the formation of CO2 Lock as a self-funding subsidiary to pursue geoscience-related carbon capture and storage (" CCS ") opportunities via permanent mineralization of carbon dioxide. FPX retains 100% of the carbon credits associated with CCS on FPX's own properties, and can use any intellectual property developed by CO2 Lock for the benefit of FPX's own properties.

Since its inception, CO2 Lock has completed multiple field programs at its flagship SAM site in central British Columbia , including a successful CCS field program in 2023, which included drilling an exploration well. This achievement marked a significant milestone in the development of CO2 Lock's innovative in-situ CO ₂ mineralization technology.

Commercial Updates

In recent months, CO2 Lock has achieved several commercial milestones, including the signing of preliminary agreements with key counterparties in the CCS value chain as follows:

Letter of Intent with Cielo Carbon Solutions (" Cielo ") and Carbon Quest outlining the framework for capturing and sequestering 100,000 tonnes of CO ₂ per year, scaling up to a target of 1 million tonnes per year. This strategic relationship combines Cielo and Carbon Quest's point-source carbon capture solution with CO2 Lock's storage solution to create an end-to-end value chain from industrial emitters to the permanent storage of carbon dioxide.
Memorandum of Understanding with Ionada Carbon Solutions LLC (" Ionada ") to pursue a variety of commercial arrangements relating to the capture and storage of carbon dioxide and the related sale of carbon credits into the commercial market. The collaboration will integrate Ionada's proprietary carbon capture technology with CO2 Lock's permanent mineralization storage solutions, creating end-to-end carbon capture storage systems that are cost-effective and scalable.
Letter of Intent with a leading carbon marketplace platform (the " Platform "), under which the Platform will purchase up to 33% of the carbon credits generated annually from CO2 Lock's flagship SAM carbon sequestration site, representing the potential for over 300,000 verified carbon credits (tonnes) per year.

Following the successful field program in 2023, CO2 Lock has submitted an application for a carbon capture and storage exploratory reservoir license with British Columbia's Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions. Receipt of this license would provide CO2 Lock with the regulatory approval to advance the project towards commercial operations at the SAM project.

CO2 Lock Financing and Restructuring

CO2 Lock recently completed the final $600,000 tranche of its latest funding round, which raised a cumulative total of $1.7 million through a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (" SAFE ") from third-party investors. Since its inception, CO2 Lock has raised a total of approximately $3.4 million from third-party investors.

In connection with the closing of the SAFE round, FPX and CO2 Lock have agreed to a restructuring of CO2 Lock's capital structure such that FPX's undiluted ownership interest in CO2 Lock has been reduced from approximately 88% (prior to the SAFE round) to 30% (on conclusion of the SAFE round). This restructuring better positions CO2 Lock to seek additional funding from third party investors going forward, while ensuring that FPX retains a meaningful ownership interest in CO2 Lock and enduring rights to utilize CO2 Lock's intellectual property for the benefit of FPX's own properties.

About FPX Nickel Corp.

FPX Nickel Corp. is focused on the exploration and development of the Baptiste Nickel Project, located in central British Columbia , and other occurrences of the same unique style of naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy mineralization known as awaruite. For more information, please view the Company's website at https://fpxnickel.com/ or contact Martin Turenne , President and CEO, at (604) 681-8600 or ceo@fpxnickel.com .

On behalf of FPX Nickel Corp.

"Martin Turenne"
Martin Turenne , President, CEO and Director

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain of the statements made and information contained herein is considered "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These statements address future events and conditions and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as disclosed in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Actual results could differ from those currently projected. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE FPX Nickel Corp.

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FPX Nickel Announces Board and Management Changes

FPX Nickel Corp. (TSX-V: FPX) (OTCQB: FPOCF) (" FPX " or the " Company ") is pleased to announce the appointment of Dan Apai, P. Eng., as the Company's Vice President, Projects effective May 1, 2025 . Mr. Apai succeeds Andrew Osterloh who will be departing his role as a Company employee on May 9, 2025 . Further, the Company is pleased to announce that Mr. Osterloh will be nominated for election as a Board member at the Company's annual general meeting to be held on June 26, 2025 .

Martin Turenne , President and CEO of FPX stated, "On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Andrew for his dedication and service to the Company. During Andrew's tenure and under his leadership, the Company has significantly improved the development basis for the Baptiste Nickel Project, including progressing technical maturity in the areas of metallurgy, engineering, and execution planning. We are grateful for his efforts and wish him the very best going forward."

Mr. Turenne continued, "I am delighted to welcome Dan to our senior management team. Dan has been a valuable contributor since he joined the Company in January 2023 as our Engineering Manager. Dan brings a wealth of knowledge from prior experience developing and commissioning multiple large-scale projects and his deep familiarity with Baptiste will ensure a smooth transition as we further advance the Project."

"We are very happy to welcome Andrew to the FPX Board," commented the Company's Chairman, Peter Bradshaw . "Andrew has demonstrated exceptional leadership in progressing Baptiste through the development of the prefeasibility and refinery studies. His deep understanding of the Project and strategic insights will be a significant asset to our Board. We look forward to his contributions as a Board member to the Company's continued success."

Mr. Osterloh joined FPX in June 2021 , bringing with him extensive experience from project management roles at Fluor Canada and site operations positions at several notable mining projects, including Eskay Creek (that is now being redeveloped by Skeena Gold & Silver) and Huckleberry, operated by Imperial Metals, both located in British Columbia . Mr. Osterloh will be assuming the role of VP, Engineering & Construction at Skeena Gold & Silver, as the Company undertakes redevelopment of the Eskay Creek Project.

Mr. Apai, the Company's Engineering Manager since January 2023 , has over twenty years' mining industry experience in civil engineering and engineering management over a diverse range of projects. As Principal Civil Engineer for Fluor Canada, he led study and detailed engineering works for numerous large-scale mining projects for clients including Teck, Newmont, BHP, First Quantum, Glencore, Josemaria Resources, and Newcrest. Dan's technical expertise includes site layout, earthworks, water management, linear facilities (i.e., roads, powerlines, pipelines), and water supply systems – all elements that strongly influence the capital intensity, permitability, and operability of mining projects. Mr. Apai is a Member of the Association of Professional Engineers of British Columbia and holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Western Australia .

About the Baptiste Nickel Project

The Company's Baptiste Nickel Project represents a large-scale greenfield discovery of nickel mineralization in the form of a sulphur-free, nickel-iron mineral called awaruite (Ni ₃ Fe) hosted in an ultramafic/ophiolite complex. The absence of sulphur and our ability to connect to the BC Hydro grid means that Baptiste has the potential to be one of the lowest carbon-intensive nickel producers in the world and will produce a very high grade product that does not required any intermediate smelting or complex refining. The Baptiste mineral claims cover an area of 453 km ² west of Middle River and north of Trembleur Lake, in central British Columbia . In addition to the Baptiste Deposit itself, awaruite mineralization has been confirmed through drilling at several target areas within the same claims package, most notably at the Van Target which is located 6 km to the north of the Baptiste Deposit. Since 2010, approximately US$55 million has been spent on the exploration and development of Baptiste.

FPX has conducted mineral exploration activities to date subject to the conditions of agreements with First Nations and keyoh holders.

About FPX Nickel Corp.

FPX Nickel Corp. is focused on the exploration and development of the Baptiste Nickel Project, located in central British Columbia , and other occurrences of the same unique style of naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy mineralization known as awaruite. For more information, please view the Company's website at https://fpxnickel.com/ or contact Martin Turenne , President and CEO, at (604) 681-8600 or ceo@fpxnickel.com .

On behalf of FPX Nickel Corp.

"Martin Turenne"
Martin Turenne , President, CEO and Director

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain of the statements made and information contained herein is considered "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These statements address future events and conditions and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as disclosed in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Actual results could differ from those currently projected. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE FPX Nickel Corp.

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FPX Nickel Provides Update on 2025 Community Initiatives

FPX Nickel Corp. (TSXV: FPX) (OTCQB: FPOCF) (" FPX " or the " Company ") is pleased to provide an update on recent community investment initiatives. FPX is committed to positively contributing to the communities where we operate through investments in programs or organizations that address inequality and are strongly aligned with Company values. FPX established the Community Office in 2024 in Fort St. James which is located approximately 90 km from the Baptiste Nickel Project (the " Project "). The Company hosts regular open houses which offer the opportunity for local community members to learn about the Company, its employees, and the Project, and to provide early feedback to inform the Company's activities.

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FPX Nickel Announces Extension to Generative Exploration Alliance with JOGMEC

FPX Nickel Corp. (TSXV: FPX) (OTCQB: FPOCF) (" FPX " or the " Company ") is pleased to announce the extension of the Company's Global Generative Exploration Alliance (the " Generative Alliance ") with Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (" JOGMEC "). Building on strong progress achieved through the first two years of the Generative Alliance, FPX and JOGMEC have agreed to convert the arrangement into an open-ended joint venture going forward. The program will remain focused on the global identification and acquisition of high-quality awaruite nickel properties similar in geological character to the Company's flagship Baptiste Nickel Project (" Baptiste ") in central British Columbia .

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Vertex Minerals Limited Share Purchase Plan Raises A$1.6M and Closes

Perth, Australia (ABN Newswire) - Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX) (OTCMKTS:VTXXF) is pleased to advise that the Company's Share Purchase Plan Offer ("SPP") is closing Friday 6 June 2025 after raising A$1.6 million.

As announced on 12 May 2025, the Company proposed a maximum of A$1 million Share Purchase Plan Offer as part of a A$11 million capital raising.

Due to an overwhelming response, the Company decided to close the SPP early.

To view the updated anticipated dates, please visit:
https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/HQL85278

About Vertex Minerals Limited:

Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX) is an Australian based gold exploration company developing its advanced Hargraves and Hill End gold projects located in the highly prospective Eastern Lachlan Fold Belt of Central West NSW. Other Company assets include the Pride of Elvire gold project and Taylors Rock gold/nickel/lithium project both located in the Eastern Goldfields of WA. The focus of Vertex Minerals is to advance the commercial production of gold from its NSW projects embracing an ethical and environmentally sustainable approach.

Source:
Vertex Minerals Limited

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Finlay Minerals Announces Increase in Size of Non-Brokered Private Placement of Flow-Through Shares and Non-Flow-Through Units

/NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR THROUGH U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES/

finlay minerals ltd. (TSXV: FYL) (OTCQB: FYMNF) ("Finlay" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that due to strong investor interest it has increased the size of its non-brokered private placement (the " Private Placement "), previously announced on May 26, 2025 to raise up to $1,700,000 . The Private Placement will consist of the issuance of any combination of: (i) common shares of the Company to be issued on a flow-through basis under the Income Tax Act ( Canada ) (each, a " FT Share ") at a price of $0.11 per FT Share, and (ii) non-flow-through units of the Company (each, a " NFT Unit ") at a price of $0.10 per NFT Unit, for aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of up to $1,700,000 . The Private Placement is subject to a minimum offering amount of $500,000 to be raised through any combination of FT Shares and NFT Units.

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Vertex Minerals Limited Reward Gold Mine Project Update

Perth, Australia (ABN Newswire) - Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX) (OTCMKTS:VTXXF) is pleased to announce that the underground mining operation is on track to be producing high grade gold feed to the recently commissioned gravity gold plant early this quarter.

Vertex's Technical Director and Geologist, Tully Richards commented: "It is very exciting to be involved in the opening of the next chapter of what is a legendary gold field. I'm particularly pleased to see the enthusiasm of all those involved in wanting to make this chapter a success"

HIGHLIGHTS:

- VTX remains on track to deliver first underground high grade gold ore to the Gravity Gold plant in early Q3 2025, with commissioning and underground mine readiness ramp- up activities progressing as planned.

- Underground Gold Mining Readiness

- First underground miners onboarded under owner operator model

- TD1 Jumbo (for development and production) commissioned and operating underground

- Primary ventilation installed

- First stope development dewatering completed

- Explosive Magazine constructed

- Water feed installed

- Air lines installed and operational

- 11kva power installation underway

- Revised mine plan and schedule received and being implemented

- Underground Ore trialled through gravity plant

- Trail of 90 tonnes of development material with some reef quartz through the gravity plant

- Throughput exceeding expectation and beyond the nameplate plant flow sheet value.

- Pulse Mining System Installed and Implemented

- INX Software Installed and Implemented

- INX Software and site access kiosks to go live at mine site in June.

- INX will improve overall safety framework with real time risk mitigation focus.

- INX strengthens site access controls for employees, contractors and visitors.

- Sand Stack facility fully operational

- Facility fully functioning with return water pump station installed and operational (water recycling)

- 57 Megalitre Turon River water licence purchased for back up water supply

- Environmental & Compliance Implementation

- Multiple monitoring systems installed, and real time monitored (Dust, noise, vibration).

- Underground diamond drilling site ("drill cuddy") being established

- This location will be used for Reward Gold Mine resource development as well as mine corridor exploration diamond drilling

A batch of hard rock material, taken from the Reward Gold Mine - Amalgamated Vein, was trial processed through the Gravity Gold Plant and TOMRA sorter. Vertex engineers and operators were extremely pleased with the throughput rate and its sorting amenability.

As previously announced the new mine schedule for the Reward underground mine proposes mining two stope blocks consisting of 2,075 tonnes at 17.8 g/t Au and 700 tonnes at 42.5 g/t Au. The planned stope width is the same as the interpretation of the mineralisation. (Refer to Table 1 in Appendices 1) (VTX ASX announcement 26/06/23).

This stope can be exploited as soon as services have been established. Vertex mining crews are actively developing the adit to make room for the 11kva cable, water and air lines ("services").

Drill Cuddy (location for underground diamond drill rig)

A drill cuddy is being developed by Vertex airleg miners and will be completed mid-June. The drill cuddy will be mined up to 6m in height and 7m depth to cater for the Vertex LM90 drill rig. The rig will drill circa 7 holes in this location designed by the Vertex geologists, targeting the stacked veins below and above the Amalgamated adit. The LM 90 will be operated by Vertex drillers and will drill continuously going forward. The aim is to build gold inventory, convert inferred resource to indicated and to help with stope design.

Vertex have now fully installed and implemented a closed water system at the Reward Gold Mine. The water from the gravity process plant mixed with the waste sand material is decanted at the sand stack area. The decanted water is then pumped back to the process plant for re-use. Make-up water is sourced from the Reward Gold Mine where mine water is used to meet the water requirements for the gravity plant. Water use is minimised in the process because the ore is mostly processed by ore sorting which doesn't use water. Further the water is not polluted because the Reward Ore and country rock has no sulphide minerals and the plant process does not use chemicals (Cyanide or reagents).
*To view tables and figures, please visit:
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About Vertex Minerals Limited:

Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX) is an Australian based gold exploration company developing its advanced Hargraves and Hill End gold projects located in the highly prospective Eastern Lachlan Fold Belt of Central West NSW. Other Company assets include the Pride of Elvire gold project and Taylors Rock gold/nickel/lithium project both located in the Eastern Goldfields of WA. The focus of Vertex Minerals is to advance the commercial production of gold from its NSW projects embracing an ethical and environmentally sustainable approach.

Source:
Vertex Minerals Limited

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Vertex Minerals Limited Identifies Additional Gold Resources at the Reward Mine

Perth, Australia (ABN Newswire) - Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX) (OTCMKTS:VTXXF) is pleased to announce that the Company's engineering and geology team at the Reward Mine have identified an additional two stope block that have not been previously reported. These stopes will be incorporated into the overall mine schedule, but provide an early source of mill feed.

HIGHLIGHTS:

- VTX's Technical Services team has identified a fully developed stope block to include in the mine production start-up.

- Stopes are suitable for airleg mining which will augment jumbo production.

- Stope blocks contains an Inferred Resource of 2,075 tonnes at 17.8 g/t Au and forms part of the 2023 Mineral Resource Estimate. With the lower block having over 700 tonnes at 42.5 g/t. The planned stope width is the same as the interpretation of the mineralisation.

- Stopes are additional to the PFS mine schedule which is illustrated in Figure 2* showing the location of the additional stope.

- Stope blocks are fully developed and have been sampled from development.

- This stope can be exploited as soon as services have been established.

The stopes were developed by a previous operator and are accessible from existing development. The additional stope blocks contain an Inferred Resource of 2,075 tonnes at 17.8 g/t Au containing 1,189 ounces of gold with the lower block having over 700 tonnes at 42.5 g/t. The planned stope width is the same as the interpretation of the mineralisation. These stopes forms part of the Mineral Resource Estimate reported in VTX Announcement 22 June 2023. They were not included in the production forecast detailed in the 2024 Pre-Feasibility Study (Announcement 3 January 2024). This was due to the complexity of existing airleg workings and uncertainty around access and ground conditions and wide spaced drilling which established these areas into an Inferred Resource Category.

Note: 'The Mineral Resources are additional to the Ore Reserves.'

Subsequent investigations, which included physical inspection of the levels and completing a geotechnical assessment, have concluded that the stopes are fully developed and accessible.

The quartz veins are exposed in the existing development and have been sampled. In total ninety-seven (97) face samples were taken along the stope and assayed for gold. Figure 3* illustrates the sample grades diluted to 1.5m width, which represents a minimum mining width, and the locations along the stope.

The density of sampling around the stope locations, along with accessibility adds to the confidence that the Company can successfully mine this area very early in the start-up of underground production. The Company believes the inclusion of these stopes is significant to early production, and that the stopes will be mined before the Company updates the Resource and Reserve Estimates for the Project. These samples were not used in the Resource.

The Company plans to exploit this stope once the mine services have been established and bring this stope into the initial stages of the production schedule.

Vertex's Executive Chairman, Roger Jackson commented: "Our new technical team has been established, and it is great to see them looking for the opportunities to add value to the high-grade underground production start-up.

This really does show the potential this mine has for high grade expansion. We are in the process of re-opening the underground mine with the establishment of mine services. Dewatering of the declines has commenced and is progressing to schedule."

*To view tables and figures, please visit:
https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/0C116659

About Vertex Minerals Limited:

Vertex Minerals Limited (ASX:VTX) is an Australian based gold exploration company developing its advanced Hargraves and Hill End gold projects located in the highly prospective Eastern Lachlan Fold Belt of Central West NSW. Other Company assets include the Pride of Elvire gold project and Taylors Rock gold/nickel/lithium project both located in the Eastern Goldfields of WA. The focus of Vertex Minerals is to advance the commercial production of gold from its NSW projects embracing an ethical and environmentally sustainable approach.

Source:
Vertex Minerals Limited

News Provided by ABN Newswire via QuoteMedia

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