Ucore Provides Louisiana SMC Organizational and Project Team Updates

Orbital Engineering leads an expanded engineering consortium advancing engineering, permitting, procurement, construction, and operational readiness in Alexandria, Louisiana

Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU,OTC:UURAF) (OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has retained the services of Process Engineering Associates, LLC ("PEA") as its Owner's Engineering Representative, and to provide specialty process engineering support to the Orbital Engineering, Inc. ("Orbital") led Louisiana Strategic Metals Complex ("SMC") project's (the "Project") engineering consortium. The Company is also pleased to announce personnel additions across operations and project and construction management as the Project execution accelerates. These additions, along with the enhanced process integration engineering and operational appointments made earlier this year, help to ensure timely Project delivery and preparations for initial plant start-up. Ucore's primary focus is to advance the commercial deployment of its RapidSX™ rare earth element separation technology at its under-construction SMC facility in Alexandria, Louisiana. This begins with installing, testing, and commissioning its first 600 tonnes per annum ("tpa") of total rare earth oxides ("TREO") processing capacity production line, 'Enhanced Machine A', in H1 2027.

Process Engineering Associates provides owner oversight and process expertise

PEA now provides project-wide oversight as Ucore's owner's engineering representative, which is a new Project responsibility. PEA monitors overall engineering progress and provides regular updates to Ucore on engineering status, potential delays, and emerging risks. Ucore and PEA began working together on oxide production in early 2026, and in addition to the aforementioned roles, PEA is also fully integrated with Orbital Engineering for additional process engineering expertise.

At the Louisiana SMC, PEA has supported process design, flowsheet development, and equipment specifications for final oxide processing, including kiln and jet mill systems designed to deliver rare earth oxide products to the required specifications. Founded in 1996, PEA specializes in chemical process engineering and has completed thousands of process design, engineering, and safety projects for more than 700 clients worldwide. Its experience spans chemical production, petroleum refining, metals and minerals, and other process industries.

Orbital Engineering leads the engineering consortium

Orbital has been leading the Louisiana SMC engineering consortium since 2025. Established in 1969, the firm brings more than five decades of experience in project development, execution, and asset management for heavy industry and utilities.

Orbital employs dedicated specialists across process, civil, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and control engineering disciplines. The consortium consists of Mech-Chem Associates, Inc., PEA, permitting, fire & safety, and other specialists. Additionally, Ucore and the engineering consortium are fully integrated with a procurement specialty team to provide seamless integration with the Project management and operational teams.

"Successful delivery of a process facility depends on close coordination between engineering, procurement, construction, and operations," said Larry Rushing, Sr. Project Manager of Orbital Engineering. "Working daily with PEA and Ucore's expanded Project and operational teams helps us anticipate issues early, align equipment specifications with process requirements, and plan for optimum installation, testing, and commissioning at the Louisiana SMC."

Louisiana SMC project organization

Figure 1 - Simplified Project Organization for the Louisiana Strategic Metals Complex

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Four key appointments strengthen the Louisiana SMC Team

Ucore has recruited and directly hired a substantial Operational and Project execution team for the SMC undertaking. This started with the January 2026 hiring of Mr. Greg Montgomery as Louisiana SMC Plant Manager and, following the most recent C$69 million capital raise, the hiring of Mr. Bryan Peak as Project Manager and Mr. Brad Laeger as Construction Manager, relieving a significant daily effort from the Ucore management team. These additions, along with a growing SMC operational engineering team, including Mr. Didi Kazadi, bring to bear approximately sixty people directly and indirectly hired by and dedicated to advancing the objectives of Ucore in Louisiana, USA, and Nova Scotia & Ontario, Canada.

Greg Montgomery

Plant Manager, Louisiana SMC

Greg Montgomery was the first Ucore employee headquartered in Louisiana and has spent almost a year developing and preparing for plant operations. He focuses on workforce and procedural development, operational readiness, and integrating commissioning between the Project and Operations teams. He has held leadership roles in four new-plant start-ups, including chemical and Tier One automotive manufacturing. Greg is a former United States Navy Nuclear Plant Supervisor on special operations submarines and taught at Knolls Atomic Propulsion Laboratory in Ballston Spa, NY.

Bryan Peak

Project Manager, Louisiana SMC

Hired in September, Bryan Peak is a direct Ucore employee headquartered in Baton Rouge with Orbital. He oversees delivery of the Louisiana SMC Project from Enhanced Machine A through the planned development of the full SMC. Bryan brings decades of chemical plant project management experience and is responsible for managing scope, schedule, and budget throughout the Project lifecycle, collaborating daily with major contractors and Ucore's engineering, operational, and management teams.

Brad Laeger

Construction Manager, Louisiana SMC

Also hired in September, Brad Laeger is a direct Ucore employee headquartered in Alexandria at the SMC, with decades of construction management experience. He leads construction management for the Louisiana SMC, connecting Ucore's project objectives with the work of architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, and site crews. His responsibilities include coordinating the daily construction activities in line with project specifications, budgets, schedules, and safety requirements.

Didi Kazadi

Operational Process Engineer, Louisiana SMC

Since May 2026, Didi Kazadi has worked with the Ucore technology and process development teams to prepare to integrate and execute operational engineering processes at the Louisiana SMC. He brings more than 15 years of experience in extractive metallurgy, hydrometallurgy, and mineral processing.

Didi's experience includes critical metals leaching, solution purification, solvent extraction, precipitation, and oxide production, as well as expertise in critical and battery raw materials for a major automotive manufacturer.

"Building the Louisiana SMC requires experienced people who can turn engineering plans into a working facility," said Mike Schrider, P.E., Ucore Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "Greg, Bryan, Brad, Didi, and other soon-to-be direct team members strengthen the day-to-day leadership needed to manage construction, integrate the production process, and prepare the plant for operation. Together with the PEA and Orbital team members, they expand our ability to advance the project and build greatly needed US rare earth element processing capacity commencing in H1 2027."

The expanded team supports Ucore's ongoing engineering and construction activities for 'Enhanced Machine A', the Company's first commercial-scale RapidSX™ rare earth element separation capacity at the Louisiana SMC. Installation, testing, and commissioning are targeted for the first half of 2027 as part of the facility's phased development, with the team also preparing for subsequent early product qualification trials and the advancement of Production Line 1.

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About Ucore Rare Metals Inc.

Ucore is focused on rare-earth and critical-metal resources, extraction, beneficiation, and separation technologies with the potential for production, growth, and scalability. 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 aims to support the development of a more diversified and resilient North American Rare Earth Elements ("REE") supply chain through the near-term development of a heavy and light rare-earth processing facility in the US State of Louisiana, subsequent SMCs in Canada and Alaska and the longer-term development of Ucore's 100% controlled Bokan-Dotson Ridge Rare Heavy REE Project on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska, USA ("Bokan").

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.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. 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, events, or developments that the Company is pursuing are forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements with respect to: the progress of development at the Louisiana SMC and any subsequent SMCs; and future development plans. 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.

For additional risks and uncertainties regarding the Company, its business activities, its ability to qualify for and receive any additional funding from any U.S. or Canadian government, the Company's Commercialization and Demonstration Facility ("CDF") and the aforementioned projects (generally), see the risk disclosure in the Base Shelf Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement, and in the continuous disclosure documents filed by the Company on SEDAR+ (http://www.sedarplus.ca), including the Company's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2025 (filed on SEDAR+ on June 8, 2026) and MD&A for Q2-2026 (filed on SEDAR+ on August 26, 2026), as well as the risks described below.

Regarding the disclosure above in the "About Ucore Rare Metals Inc." section, the Company has assumed that it will be able to procure or retain additional partners and/or suppliers, in addition to Innovation Metals Corp. ("IMC"), as suppliers for Ucore's expected future SMCs. Ucore has also assumed that sufficient external funding will be found to continue and complete the ongoing research and development work required at the CDF and also later prepare a new technical report in compliance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects that demonstrates that 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 offtake agreements. Ucore has also assumed that sufficient external funding will be secured to continue the development of the specific engineering plans for the SMCs and their construction and eventual commissioning and operations.

Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material assumptions, including, without limitation: the successful completion and accuracy of baseline, front-end-engineering design and detailed engineering studies; the ability to complete further engineering, procurement, and construction activities as currently contemplated; the availability, cost, and timely delivery of equipment, materials, utilities, labour and construction services; the Company's ability to secure sufficient financing on acceptable terms; the receipt and timing of all required permits and approvals; the successful scale-up and commercial deployment of RapidSX™ technology from demonstration to commercial operation; the availability of qualified feedstock from third-party suppliers; successful customer qualification and offtake discussions; continued support from governmental partners; and general economic, market, and industry conditions, including assumptions regarding rare earth oxide prices, which are subject to significant volatility.

Although the Company believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate or that the anticipated results, performance, or achievements will be realized. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, without limitation: risks associated with the development, scale-up, and commercialization of new or unproven technologies; the risk that RapidSX™ may not perform at commercial scale as expected; engineering design changes; inaccuracies in capital or operating cost estimates; cost escalation due to inflation, supply chain disruption, or market conditions; delays or failures in procurement, construction, or commissioning; the inability to obtain or maintain required permits, approvals, or regulatory authorizations; challenges in securing adequate financing; adverse capital market conditions; variability in feedstock supply, quality, or pricing; failure to secure or maintain commercial relationships, customer qualification, or offtake arrangements; fluctuations and uncertainty in rare earth oxide prices and demand; the risk that indicative or quoted market prices, including for ex-China markets, may not be realized; operational risks once in production, including equipment failures or lower-than-expected recoveries; geopolitical risk; changes in applicable laws or regulations; environmental or permitting challenges; loss of key personnel; and general economic, business, or competitive conditions.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined by the TSXV) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

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