Dr. William Willoughby reports

CENTURY LITHIUM RECEIVES WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PERMIT FOR DEMONSTRATION PLANT

The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) has issued a water pollution control permit (WPCP) for Century Lithium Corp.'s Tonopah Airport lithium processing demonstration facility at the Tonopah Airport in Nye county, Nevada. The company has also provided an update on progress at the site, which supports its 100-per-cent-owned Angel Island lithium project in Esmeralda county, Nevada, United States.

"Receiving the water pollution control permit is a key step in our efforts to reconstruct and upgrade the demonstration plant in Tonopah," said Dr. Bill Willoughby, president and chief executive officer of Century Lithium. "The plant has already demonstrated continuous operation of our patent-pending process, a combination of hydrochloric acid leaching and direct lithium extraction to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate from bulk samples of lithium clay from Angel Island. Our plan going forward with the demonstration plant is to complete the test work outlined in the 2026 feasibility study, continue to physically show the efficiency of our process, and pursue R&D [research and development] initiatives, including recovery of other critical minerals from Angel Island, when funded."

Permitting progress

On Oct. 28, 2026, the NDEP's Bureau of Mining Regulation and Reclamation issued water pollution control permit NEV2026117 for the demonstration plant to the company's wholly owned subsidiary, Cypress Holdings (Nevada) Ltd. The WPCP authorizes the construction, operation and closure of the facility.

The WPCP covers the process building and two existing double-lined tailings ponds with leak detection on site. Before operations can begin, the WPCP requires the two ponds to be certified through hydrostatic testing of their liner and leak detection systems. That work is under way. Other preoperational requirements include submitting updated operating plans and a notice of intent to operate and completing an NDEP facility inspection. The company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Cypress, also holds a Class II general air quality operating permit issued by the NDEP's Bureau of Air Pollution Control for the Tonopah Airport site.

The demonstration plant will be constructed on an industrial site at the Tonopah Airport, which the company leases from Nye County and where the company's Nevada office is located. Because the site is airport property, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must review and approve any new construction and non-aviation use, which includes an environmental review. The FAA's environmental review is nearing completion, and the company is awaiting FAA approval to construct the process building.

Demonstration plant and metallurgical testing

The company has purchased a steel building for the demonstration plant, with engineered modifications to suit the plant layout. The concrete foundation slab for the process building is complete and has been sealed with a chemical-resistant coating. Construction will begin upon receipt of FAA approval.

When operational, the demonstration plant will be used to complete the structured metallurgical testing recommended in the 2026 feasibility study (see updated National Instrument 43-101 technical report on the feasibility study of the Clayton Valley lithium project, Esmeralda county, Nevada, United States, dated Jan. 3, 2026). This includes full test runs on claystone zones 1 and 2 and evaluating improvements to leaching, direct lithium extraction, lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide production. The 2026 feasibility study also recommended further evaluation of the economic potential of rare earth element (REE) recovery at Angel Island.

As reported in the company's news releases dated Dec. 2 and Dec. 11, 2025, test work on primary leach solutions generated from a 500-tonne bulk sample of Angel Island claystone demonstrated recovery of REEs, including dysprosium, gadolinium, neodymium and praseodymium, without adversely affecting lithium recovery. The bulk sample assayed 0.024 per cent total rare earth oxides (TREO), comprising 75 per cent light REEs and 25 per cent yttrium and heavy REEs. These results are representative of the bulk sample only and should not be assumed to represent the Angel Island deposit as a whole. REE recovery is not included in the 2026 feasibility study. The demonstration plant will be used to test REE recovery from Angel Island claystone at a larger scale.

Metallurgical testing for Angel Island has continued at the company's laboratory in Butte, Mont., independent of the demonstration plant schedule. Research into an enhanced chlor-alkali-based process is also under way at the Butte laboratory. This work examines alternatives to atmospheric leaching that could reduce the project's overall power requirements.

Qualified person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Todd S. Fayram, MMSA-QP, chief technical officer of Century Lithium, a non-independent qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Century Lithium Corp.

Century Lithium is an advanced-stage lithium development company focused on its 100-per-cent-owned Angel Island lithium project in Esmeralda county, Nevada. Angel Island hosts one of the largest known sedimentary lithium deposits in the United States and is designed with an integrated, end-to-end process for the on-site production of battery-grade lithium carbonate to support the electric vehicle and battery storage markets.

The company has developed a patent-pending process that incorporates hydrochloric acid leaching, combined with direct lithium extraction, to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate. As part of the integrated chlor-alkali process, Angel Island is designed to produce sodium hydroxide as a co-product, with planned surplus sales expected to lower operating costs, reduce reliance on externally sourced reagents and minimize environmental impacts.

Century Lithium is currently advancing Angel Island through the permitting process.

Century Lithium trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol LCE, on the OTCQX under the symbol CYDVF and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol C1Z.

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