Ucore Rare Metals and Meteoric Resources Sign MOU for Offtake of Caldeira Project MREC in Brazil to USA Oxide Production Project

Meteoric Resources NL (ASX: MEI) ("Meteoric") and Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore") announce the August 2024 execution of a memorandum of understanding ("MOU") for the supply of 3,000 metric tonnes ("MT") of total rare earth oxide ("TREO") from Meteoric's forthcoming Caldeira Rare Earth Ionic Clay Project ("Caldeira") in the Minas Gerais State of Brazil to Ucore's developing Alexandria, Louisiana, USA, rare earth oxide ("REO") production facility, the Louisiana Strategic Metals Complex ("SMC").

Meteoric is an Australian public company headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. The TREO identified across its Caldeira Project represents an enriched heavy REO basket with strongly enriched Magnet REOs - terbium, dysprosium, neodymium, and praseodymium. Caldeira has been identified as one of the world's lowest-cost sources of rare earths with outstanding financial metrics (refer ASX release 8 July 2024).

Ucore is a Canadian public company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with a transformational rare earth separation technology, RapidSX™. Ucore is currently undertaking heavy and light rare earth element ("REE") separation at demonstration scale at its RapidSX™ Commercialization and Demonstration Facility ("CDF") in Kingston, Ontario. Participants include the US Department of Defense and the Canadian Government as Ucore implements its technology transfer plan from demonstration scale to commercial scale at its prospective Louisiana SMC.

Key Provisions of the MOU:

  • During the term of the MOU, the Parties will work toward establishing a binding definitive agreement for the supply of mixed rare earth carbonate ("MREC") from Caldeira to the Louisiana SMC.
  • Once the Parties are in production they envision that Ucore will purchase a minimum quantity of 3,000MT of TREO annually from Caldeira.
    • This could represent over 900MT of NdPr, approximately 6MT of Tb and 24MT of Dy.
  • Both Parties will support each other in the pursuit of funding and business development for their respective projects.
  • Ucore's initial production of REO in Louisiana is forecast to start commissioning by Q4-2025 and commence commercial operations in the first half of 2026.
  • Meteoric expects to obtain a construction permit by Q4-2025 and aims to commence MREC production during the second half of 2027.

Pat Ryan, P.Eng., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ucore, stated: "Ucore is delighted to have the opportunity to work with Meteoric and its world-class Caldeira Project as we continue to engage with like-minded partners in establishing a Western supply chain made up of diverse global projects. The proximity of South America, particularly Brazil, to the Port of New Orleans and onto our Alexandria, Louisiana facility is ideally situated as we establish rare earth manufacturing in the Southeast United States."

Nick Holthouse, Chief Executive Officer of Meteoric stated: "We are very pleased to be bringing this important agreement with Ucore to market. This builds on Meteoric's MREC offtake strategy,and we are delighted to support Ucore in their march towards becoming an alternative separating option for a Western Rare Earth supply chain. Ucore's interest signals strong external market confidence in the Caldeira Project`s ability to progress to an FID and into production. We look forward to working with Ucore and having the benefit of their technical support and US Government relationships as we continue to pursue and develop our own downstream capabilities and progress to a binding commercial arrangement."

# # #

 

About Ucore Rare Metals Inc.

Ucore is focused on rare- 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, this plan includes disrupting the People's Republic of China's control of the North American REE supply chain through the near-term establishment of a heavy and light rare-earth processing facility in the U.S. State of Louisiana and subsequent Strategic Metal Complexes in Canada and Alaska, USA.

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."

CONTACTS

Mr. Michael Schrider, P.E., Ucore Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, is responsible for the Ucore content in this news release and may be contacted at 1.902.482.5214.

For additional information, please contact:

Mark MacDonald
Vice President, Investor Relations
Ucore Rare Metals Inc.
1.902.482.5214
mark@ucore.com

About Meteoric Resources

Meteoric Resources NL (ASX: MEI) is a Perth based rare earth company that is progressing its flagship Caldeira Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil and aims to become Brazil's next rare earth producer. The Caldeira Project is an advanced stage exploration project with a true Ionic adsorbed Clay (IAC) deposit with above industry TREO grades and excellent metallurgical recoveries using a standard Ammonium Sulphate (AMSUL) wash flowsheet. These grade and recovery characteristics allow a simple flowsheet to be developed to produce a Mixed Rare Earth Carbonate (MREC) with an anticipated low capital and operating costs. Meteoric aims to become a significant volume, low-cost producer and is committed to supporting and integrating into Western supply chain opportunities.

The announcement has been authorised for release by the Board.

For further information, please contact:

Nick Holthouse
Chief Executive Officer
Meteoric Resources NL
E nholthouse@meteoric.com.au
T +61 428 964 276

Michael Vaughan
Investor and Media Relations
Fivemark Partners
E michael.vaughan@fivemark.com.au
T + 61 422 602 720

Forward-Looking Statements and Cautionary Notes

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" by either Meteoric or Ucore (the "Companies"). All statements in this release (other than statements of historical facts) that address future business development and/or acquisition activities (including any related commercial production activities), timelines, events or developments that the Companies expect, are forward looking statements. Although the Companies believe 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 Ucore, its CDF, its planned commercial activities, and its ongoing Programs (generally), see the risk disclosure in Ucore's MD&A for Q1-2024 (filed on SEDAR on May 28, 2024) (www.sedarplus.ca).

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

Meteoric confirms that all forecast financial information derived from the production target in the initial ASX release dated 8 July 2024 continue to apply and have not materially changed.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/220620

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Ucore Announces Private Placement Financing

Ucore Announces Private Placement Financing

Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce plans to complete a non-brokered private placement of approximately 3.1 million units ("Units") for total proceeds of $2 million (the "Offering").

Proceeds from the Offering are expected to be used towards the commissioning of the Company's planned RapidSXTM demonstration plant; the processing of initial feedstock through the demonstration plant; finalization of offtake and feedstock agreements; engineering work for the proposed Strategic Metals Complex in Louisiana, USA; and for general working capital purposes.

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The US State of Louisiana Offers C$15M+ Incentive Package for Ucore's First RapidSX Rare Earth Processing Facility - the Louisiana SMC

The US State of Louisiana Offers C$15M+ Incentive Package for Ucore's First RapidSX Rare Earth Processing Facility - the Louisiana SMC

  • The proposed incentive package from Louisiana includes US$9.6M in tax incentives and payroll rebates over the first ten years of operation. Upon specific site selection:
    • potential additional state and local economic and workforce incentives
    • an expedited process for all required state permits
  • Ucore's Board of Directors has unanimously agreed to commit the Company toward establishing its first Strategic Metals Complex (SMC) in Louisiana
  • Rare earth oxide products from the Louisiana SMC will be critical to North America's and Louisiana's goal to expand toward green energy technologies

Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a mutual commitment with the US State of Louisiana ("Louisiana" or the "State") toward the establishment of the Company's first Strategic Metals Complex ("SMC") rare earth element ("REE") separation facility - the Louisiana SMC.

The Company's executive team has been in discussions with the State since the spring of 2022 and spent the better part of summer in a due-diligence process. This included an August trip to examine ten existing "brownfield facilities" throughout the State. Each of these facilities provides a head start as the prospective location of the Louisiana SMC versus a new construction or "greenfield facility."

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Ucore Updates on Bokan 2022 Field Sampling Program

Ucore Updates on Bokan 2022 Field Sampling Program

Ucore continues to advance its Bokan project as a long-range heavy rare earth source to eventually complement the planned Western feedstock sources for its near-term Strategic Metals Complexes.

A summary of the 2022 field sampling program:

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Ucore's Rare Earth Separation Commercial Demonstration Plant On-Track for Q4-2022 Commissioning

Ucore's Rare Earth Separation Commercial Demonstration Plant On-Track for Q4-2022 Commissioning

  • Ucore's rare earth separation commercial demonstration plant is designed to process:
    • Tens of tonnes of mixed rare earth concentrates on a per annum basis.
    • Many feedstock sources, including heavy and light rare earth element feedstocks planned for the full-scale Strategic Metals Complexes (SMC).
    • All RapidSX™ splits required to produce individual praseodymium, neodymium, terbium, and dysprosium.
  • Planned commissioning in Q4-2022, followed by product qualification trials for prospective North American metal/alloy makers and original equipment manufacturers seeking diversified and sustainable metallic supply chains.
  • The full-scale SMC engineering entity, Mech-Chem Associates, Inc., is now fully integrated into all demonstration plant activities.

Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the Innovation Metals Corp.[i] ("IMC") RapidSX™ rare earth element ("REE") separation technology platform and the Company's commercial Strategic Metals Complex ("SMC") technology deployment process (the "Program"). The work is taking place at the companies' laboratory partner's (Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc. ("KPM")) facility in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

The Program was enhanced after Ucore received the independent evaluation of the RapidSX™ technology platform leading to the subsequent July 12, 2022, announcement of the nearly 3X increase in scope of the RapidSX™ REE demonstration-scale plant ("Demo Plant"). Since then, the Ucore, IMC, KPM, and Mech-Chem Associates, Inc.[ii] ("Mech-Chem") commercialization team (the "Team") has made significant strides in the procurement and construction process for the Demo Plant.

The final engineered layout of the Demo Plant takes up nearly all of the 5,000 square foot Commercialization and Demonstration Facility ("CDF") at KPM. And the concept of building a plant within an existing building is the go-forward transition template for the engineering process that the Team will replicate to create the first full-scale SMC, once the brownfield site[iii] selection process is finalized. This initial SMC is scheduled to produce 2,000 tonnes of total rare earth oxides ("TREOs") by the end of 2024 and 5,000 tonnes by 2026.

Cannot view this image? Visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1119/137284_ffcfc5cec4a3a9a7_001.jpg

Figure 1 - Engineered Design of the Currently Under Construction 51-Stage RapidSX™ REE Demo Plant

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1119/137284_ffcfc5cec4a3a9a7_001full.jpg.

"The CDF Team, and the rest of the world, is facing extraordinary supply chain challenges regarding equipment and component availability," stated Mike Schrider, P.E., Ucore's VP and COO. "Despite this situation, we have managed to procure the initial feedstocks and virtually all of the required major equipment and components, and the Demo Plant remains on track for a late 2022 commencement of the commissioning process."

"This process will demonstrate the unprecedented North American separation of tonnes of both heavy and light rare earth elements. It will then continue with end-user qualification trials throughout 2023 for Western entities seeking diversified and sustainable metallic supply chains as Ucore transitions to full-scale commercial mode with the construction of our first SMC."

Ucore's REE Separation Demo Plant is designed to:

  • Have the ability to process tens of tonnes of mixed rare earth concentrates on a per annum basis:

    • from a wide variety of feedstock sources, including the heavy REE ("HREE") and light REE ("LREE") feedstocks planned for the full-scale SMCs.

  • Be capable of processing all RapidSX™ splits required to produce individual praseodymium, neodymium, terbium, and dysprosium.

  • Have a parallel 51-stage conventional solvent extraction ("CSX") mixer/settler circuit that will match the RapidSX™ process' configuration and enable direct head-to-head comparison of the performance of RapidSX™ vs. CSX.

Cannot view this image? Visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1119/137284_ffcfc5cec4a3a9a7_002.jpg

Figure 2 - A Sampling of the On-hand CDF Components and Construction Efforts

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1119/137284_ffcfc5cec4a3a9a7_002full.jpg.

Ucore stands alone in its speed of executing the commercial deployment of one of the first modern technology platforms for separating HREEs and LREEs - as a replacement for CSX. Mech-Chem is now fully integrated into all CDF activities and is aligned to assist with the full-scale SMC techno-economic assessment and engineering data transfer. The efficiencies and environmental advantages resulting from the CDF demonstration processes are, and will continue to be, directly incorporated into the full-scale SMC engineering design packages. This integrated process is rapidly positioning Ucore to meet the demanding schedule requirements for the development of the first SMC and REO production for the Company's emerging list of prospective downstream partners.

# # #

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 an effective 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, this includes disrupting the People's Republic of China's control of the US REE supply chain through the near-term development of heavy and light rare-earth processing facilities - including 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.

About RapidSX™ Technology

IMC developed the RapidSX™ separation technology platform with early-stage assistance from the United States Department of Defense ("US DoD"), later resulting in the production of commercial-grade, separated rare-earth oxides at the pilot scale. RapidSX™ combines the time-proven chemistry of conventional solvent extraction ("SX") with a new column-based platform, which significantly reduces time to completion and plant footprint, as well as potentially lowering capital and operating costs. SX is the international rare-earth-element ("REE") industry's standard commercial separation technology and is currently used by 100% of all REE producers worldwide for bulk commercial separation of both heavy and light REEs. Utilizing similar chemistry to conventional SX, RapidSX™ is not a "new" technology but represents a significant improvement on the well-established, well-understood, proven conventional SX separation technology preferred by REE producers.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements." 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. 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 Innovation Metals Corp. ("IMC"), as suppliers for Ucore's expected future Strategic Metals Complexes ("SMCs"). 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 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. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, without limitation: 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 SMCs; Ucore not being able to raise sufficient funds to fund the specific design and construction of the SMCs 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) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CONTACT

Mark MacDonald
Vice President, Investor Relations
Ucore Rare Metals Inc.
1.902.482.5214
mark@ucore.com

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