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- Ucore conducted Bokan field mapping work in September 2021
- Ucore to conduct the Bokan channel and bulk sampling program during the Summer 2022 field season
- All required state and federal permits are now in hand for the Summer 2022 field season
Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that on November 10, 2021, the United States Department of Agriculture's Forest Service (the "USFS") issued a 1-year authorization for Ucore to commence with the Dotson Ridge 2021 Surface Exploration Project Plan of Operations (the "Project"). The Company has elected to conduct the sampling work during next summer's field season and now has all required state and federal Project permits for this work.
On May 12, 2021, Ucore announced the Project to upgrade its Bokan-Dotson Ridge heavy rare earth element ("HREE") mineral resource, disclosed in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101"), with a budget of approximately $400,000. The Project is expected to result in converting approximately 17-20% of the mineral resource to a new Measured mineral resource category; with over 90% of the new Measured material being drawn from currently Indicated mineral resource material and 10% from currently Inferred mineral resource material. This will be accomplished through the execution of approximately 50 additional channel samplings along the ≈2 km of exposed vein outcroppings of the Dotson Ridge Zone. Secondly, the Company will conduct bulk sampling activities to obtain ≈50 tonnes of additional mineralized material to facilitate prospective pilot-scale testing of its metallurgical recovery methods currently under laboratory-scale finalization at SGS Canada's Lakefield facility.
In September 2021, Ucore's COO, Mike Schrider, and Aurora Geosciences' General Manager, Alaska, Jim Robinson, P.Geo., conducted field mapping work to physically identify the two bulk sample areas and to coordinate next summer's field activities. Both of these activities are to ready the Company to conduct a Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") and/or a Feasibility Study ("FS") in the near future as the REO market continues to indicate a steady increase in response to the advent of the global adoption of electric vehicles ("EVs").
The Bokan Mountain Complex has approximately nine different historical REE mineralization zones[i] but only one of these, the Bokan-Dotson Ridge Zone, has been the focus of Ucore's rare earth mineral resource development. The Bokan-Dotson Ridge mineral resource remains open down-dip and along strike. After the Summer 2022 fieldwork is completed, the Company intends to conduct any additional exploration activities concurrently with prospective mine development activities.
Figure 1- Bulk Sampling Marking of REE Vein Outcroppings at Bokan-Dotson Ridge, September 22, 2021
To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1119/103904_d3bee94b542a380e_001full.jpg
"The long-term development of Bokan is a fundamental tenet of our Alaska 2023 Plan, and Ucore is committed to the establishment of a heavy rare earth element mineral reserve and eventual mine at the Bokan-Dotson Ridge project,"said Ucore VP & COO, Mike Schrider, P.E. "While we have the long-term development of the Bokan Mountain Complex in our sights, we are also committed to the near-term development of a comprehensive US-centric rare earth element supply chain. In our view, this starts with the development of the environmentally sound and technologically efficient Alaska Strategic Metals Complex ["SMC"] rare earth processing facility based on RapidSX™ separation technology. And the concurrent development of the accompanying infrastructure required to support the upstream and downstream elements of this emerging supply chain through the association of key industry suppliers, partners, and customers."
The advancements at Bokan are just one of many steps in the development of the ALASKA2023 Plan that Ucore is currently progressing, including:
- Through its wholly owned subsidiary Innovation Metals Corp. ("IMC"), commercial demonstration and deployment of the RapidSX™ separation technology platform
- Securing third-party allied-sourced feedstock for the Alaska SMC (see Ucore's October 19, 2021, news release regarding the MOU with Vital Metals)
- Engineering planning for the Alaska SMC REE separation & purification plant founded on modern RapidSX™ technology
- Securing offtake agreements for the sale of rare earth oxides
- Forming strategic alliances for the production of rare earth metals and oxides
- Working with prospective partners for various sources of project funding:
- Debt Financing, Offtake Pre-Purchase & Supply, USG Matching Grant Funds, Lease Back Arrangement (see Ucore's October 7, 2021, news release regarding the MOA with Southeast Conference), Other Funding
- Engineering and testing for the Bokan-Dotson Ridge Zone mill flowsheet
- Community and stakeholder engagement to ensure prudent environmental, social and corporate governance ("ESG") activities
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About Ucore Rare Metals Inc.
Ucore is focused on rare- and critical-metals resources, extraction, beneficiation, and separation technologies with the potential for production, growth, and scalability. Ucore has a 100% ownership stake in the Bokan-Dotson Ridge Rare Earth Element Project in Southeast Alaska, USA. Ucore's vision and plan is to become a leading advanced technology company, providing best-in-class metal separation products and services to the mining and mineral extraction industry.
Through strategic partnerships, Ucore's vision includes disrupting the People's Republic of China's ("PRC") control of the US REE supply chain through the development of a heavy rare-earth processing facility - the Alaska Strategic Metals Complex in Southeast Alaska and the long-term development of Ucore's heavy rare earth element mineral resource property located at Bokan Mountain on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska.
Ucore is listed on the TSXV under the trading symbol "UCU" and in the United States on the OTC Markets' OTCQX® Best Market under the ticker symbol "UURAF".
For further information, please visit www.ucore.com.
Qualified Person
Ronald James (Jim) Robinson, B.Sc., P.Geo., an independent geologist and General Manager of Aurora Geosciences (Alaska) Ltd. of Juneau, Alaska, has prepared the technical data provided in this news release and is the qualified person responsible for its accuracy.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" regarding, among other things, the Company's ALASKA2023 Business Plan as well as the upcoming prospective financing activities involving the Company and AIDEA. All statements in this release (other than statements of historical facts) that address future business development, technological development and/or acquisition activities (including any related required financings), timelines, litigation outcomes, events, or developments that the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. In regard to the disclosure in the "About Ucore Rare Metals Inc." section above, the Company has assumed that it will be able to procure or retain additional partners and/or suppliers, in addition to IMC, as suppliers for Ucore's expected future Alaska Strategic Metals Complex ("Alaska SMC"). Ucore has also assumed that sufficient external funding will be found to prepare a new National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") technical report that demonstrates that the Bokan Mountain Rare Earth Elements project ("Bokan") is feasible and economically viable for the production of both REE and co-product metals and the then prevailing market prices based upon assumed customer off-take agreements. Ucore has also assumed that sufficient external funding will be secured to develop the specific engineering plans for the Alaska SMC and its construction. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, without limitation: Innovation Metals Corp. ("IMC") failing to protect its intellectual property rights in RapidSX™; RapidSX failing to demonstrate commercial viability in large commercial-scale applications; Ucore not being able to procure additional key partners or suppliers for the Alaska SMC; Ucore not being able to raise sufficient funds to fund the specific design and construction of the Alaska SMC and/or the continued development of RapidSX; adverse capital-market conditions; unexpected due-diligence findings; the emergence of alternative superior metallurgy and metal-separation technologies; the inability of Ucore and/or IMC to retain its key staff members; a change in the legislation in Alaska and/or in the support expressed by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority ("AIDEA") regarding the development of Bokan and/or the Alaska SMC; the availability and procurement of any required interim and/or long-term financing that may be required; and general economic, market or business conditions.
Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined by the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
CONTACT
Mark MacDonald
Vice President, Investor Relations
Ucore Rare Metals Inc.
902.482.5214
mark@ucore.com
[i] Warner, J.D. and Barker, J.C., 1989: Columbium and rare earth-bearing deposits at Bokan Mountain, Southeast Alaska. United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, Open File Report 33-89
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Table 1: Summary of financial metricsExchange Rates used, 1 