Mr. Jean-Sebastien Lavallee reports

CRITICAL ELEMENTS ANNOUNCES THE BEGINNING OF A 10,000-METER DRILL PROGRAM AT ROSE WEST

Critical Elements Lithium Corp. has released the details of its phase 1 winter 2026 drill program, including 10,000 metres of systematic drilling around the 100-per-cent-owned Rose West discovery, located in Eeyou Istchee, Que. Rose West is a near-surface, subhorizontal 10 to 40 m thick lithium-rich pegmatite intercepted by drilling over a 450 m by 370 m footprint area in the winter of 2024 (see press release dated April 15, 2024, and April 22, 2024). This drilling program is designed with the objective to eventually produce a resource estimate for Rose West, should the west zone prove to be continuous. Rose West is situated within 10 km of the highly advanced Rose lithium-tantalum project.

Several of the 2024 drill hole results returned wide high-grade lithium assays, as highlighted:

• 1.39 per cent Li2O and 157 ppm (parts per million) Ta2O5 over 35.30 m, including 2.33 per cent Li2O and 152 ppm Ta2O5 over 9.00 m in hole RD-24-25A;
• 1.29 per cent Li2O and 121 ppm Ta2O5 over 31.50 m, including 1.69 per cent Li2O and 127 ppm Ta2O5 over 13.50 m in hole RD-24-24;
• 1.22 per cent Li2O and 250 ppm Ta2O5 over 20.50 m, including 1.60 per cent Li2O and 181 ppm Ta2O5 over 15.00 m in hole RD-24-17;
• 1.31 per cent Li2O and 235 ppm Ta2O5 over 40.40 m, including 1.64 per cent Li2O and 219 ppm Ta2O5 over 22.50 m in hole RD-24-20;
• 2.22 per cent Li2O and 95 ppm Ta2O5 over 20.30 m, including 2.78 per cent Li2O and 92 ppm Ta2O5 over 10.50 m in hole RD-24-23A;
• 1.30 per cent Li2O and 142 ppm Ta2O5 over 31.60 m, including 1.59 per cent Li2O and 130 ppm Ta2O5 over 25.50 m in hole RD-24-22;
• 1.43 per cent Li2O and 178 ppm Ta2O5 over 24.95 m, including 1.91 per cent Li2O and 145 ppm Ta2O5 over 13.50 m in hole RD-24-16A.

Rose West is situated within the Rose and Rose South property blocks. The 2024 winter drill campaign successfully completed 3,670 metres of drilling in 31 holes on the spodumene-bearing pegmatite. Drilling results to date have demonstrated the continuity of a mineralized pegmatite body, which thus far extends over 450 m strike, 370 m down dip and to a vertical depth of 140 m. In the west, the body comprised multiple near-surface mineralized pegmatites that range up to an apparent thickness of 12.40 m individually. These bodies appear to coalesce into a more substantial spodumene-bearing pegmatite in the east with an apparent width of up to 40.40 m. The main pegmatite body appears to be sitting in between two shallow dipping aplite dykes. This volume is the primary target of the current drilling program.

The winter 2026 drill program is designed to reach three specific goals:

• Expand laterally all around the existing mineralized footprint;
• Test the northeastern area for continuity;
• Verify the potential of discovering additional lithium-bearing pegmatites below the currently defined area.

Two drill rigs are being deployed to optimize the duration of the program. The drilling strategy is straightforward: apply a 100 m grid approach to grow the known mineralized volume from its current boundary outward. The program targets expansion of the Main zone to a potential footprint of approximately 950 m by 1,200 m, and the addition of an East Target zone of approximately 750 m by 600 m.

Drilling depth will depend on the location of the hole but is expected to average 175 m. End-of-hole depth will be established 10 m below the bottom contact of the projected target volume, but nine specific drill holes will be extended to a depth of about 300 m to verify the presence of any deeper potential.

Recent geological interpretation has identified a northwest-trending, moderately dipping (45- to 60-degree northeast) structural corridor, which appears to be cutting through the host tonalitic country rocks. While the timing of such deformation likely predates the pegmatitic event, observations suggest that the geometry of the main pegmatites is locally influenced by the structural fabric, acting as weakness planes, developed within the deformation corridor. As a result, the main pegmatite body appears to drop deeper by apparent offset of roughly 100 m on the east side of the deformation corridor.

"Given good lateral continuity of the zone, this drilling program has the potential to significantly increase the footprint of the Rose West discovery. Should mineralized intercepts continue to measure between 10 to 40 m and grades remain consistent with those reported in 2024, Rose West could have a material impact on the total Rose project resource and, consequently, a potential economic impact for Critical Element's shareholders," commented Jean-Sebastien Lavallee, chief executive officer.

Qualified person

Kenneth Williamson, Geo, MSc, exploration director at Critical Elements Lithium, is the qualified person that has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this news release on behalf of the corporation.

About Critical Elements Lithium Corp.

Critical Elements aspires to become a large, responsible supplier of lithium to the flourishing electric vehicle and energy storage system industries. To this end, Critical Elements is advancing the wholly owned, high-purity Rose lithium-tantalum project in Quebec, the corporation's first lithium project to be advanced within a land portfolio of over 1,016 square kilometres. On Aug. 29, 2023, the corporation announced results of a new feasibility study on Rose for the production of spodumene concentrate. The after-tax internal rate of return for the project is estimated at 65.7 per cent, with an estimated after-tax net present value of $2.2-billion (U.S.) at an 8-per-cent discount rate. In the corporation's view, Quebec is strategically well positioned for United States and European Union markets, and boasts good infrastructure including a low-cost, low-carbon power grid featuring 94-per-cent hydroelectricity. The project has received approval from the Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change on the recommendation of the Joint Assessment Committee, comprising representatives from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Cree Nation government, received the certificate of authorization under the Environment Quality Act from the Quebec Minister of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, and the project mining lease from the Quebec Minister of Natural Resources and Forests under the Quebec Mining Act.

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