Lithium Ionic Issues RFQ for Underground Portals at Bandeira

• Lithium Ionic Corp. has issued requests for quotation (RFQs) for construction of two underground mine portals at its wholly owned Bandeira Lithium Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
• Seven contractors have been invited to participate in the tender process for the portal construction package.
• The portals will provide surface access to the underground mine for personnel, equipment and development activities.
• The tender forms part of the Company's engineering, procurement and construction-readiness programme.
• The portal package follows on from procurement and contracting activities described in the Company's June 11, 2026 engineering and procurement update.

Lithium Ionic (TSXV: LTH; OTCQX: LTHCF; FSE: H3N) is a Canada-based lithium development company advancing its wholly owned Bandeira Lithium Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil, a region known as the "Lithium Valley." The Company's strategy involves engineering work to reduce technical risk, permitting, commercial planning, and construction readiness, with the objective of becoming a near-term producer of spodumene concentrate, a lithium-bearing mineral concentrate supplied to battery manufacturers.

RFQ Issued to Seven Contractors for Underground Mine Portal Construction at Bandeira

Lithium Ionic has issued RFQs covering construction of the two underground mine portals at Bandeira. A portal is the structure connecting the surface to an underground mine, providing access for personnel, equipment and development activities once underground operations begin.

Seven contractors have been invited to submit proposals as part of the tender process for this scope of work. An RFQ is a standard procurement step in which a company requests pricing and technical proposals from contractors ahead of awarding a construction contract.

Chief Executive Officer Blake Hylands said:

"The issuance of the portal RFQ is another practical step in advancing Bandeira from engineering toward execution planning. The underground portals represent an important early works component of the Project, and this tender process supports our continued focus on construction readiness, disciplined procurement and maintaining momentum across key development workstreams."

Portal Tender Advancing Early Works Package as Key Step Toward Construction Decision

The underground portals are described by the Company as an early works component of Bandeira, meaning they are among the initial infrastructure items required once a construction decision is made.

Advancing the portal construction tender is part of the Company's broader engineering, procurement and construction-readiness programme as Bandeira progresses toward that decision.

The Company has not provided a timeline for the tender's completion but has indicated that the process is ongoing.

Continued Procurement and Engineering Momentum Across Bandeira Development Workstreams

The portal RFQ forms part of the procurement and contracting programme outlined in the Company's June 11, 2026 engineering and procurement update, which also addressed construction-phase water access at Bandeira.

The two releases, taken together, indicate that procurement and contracting activity is being advanced across more than one component of the Project.

Lithium Ionic has stated it expects to provide further updates as the portal tender packages move through evaluation and award.

Milestones and Next Steps

Lithium Ionic has issued RFQs to seven contractors for construction of the underground mine portals at Bandeira, a step that follows the Company's June 11, 2026 engineering and procurement update. The Company has indicated that further disclosure will follow as the tender packages move through evaluation and award, which investors can monitor as an indicator of progress toward a construction decision at the Project.

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