Lithium Ionic Secures Construction-Phase Water Access, Advances Engineering at Bandeira Lithium Project

• Lithium Ionic Corp. has secured an 18-month lease granting direct access to the Jequitinhonha River for construction-phase water at its Bandeira Lithium Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
• NCL Ingeniería y Construcción SpA has completed a detailed three-year mine plan and a refined life-of-mine plan for Bandeira, supporting the findings of the September 2025 Feasibility Study.
• Basic engineering for the project's two underground mine portals has been completed with Tractebel Engineering, allowing construction tendering for the portals to move forward.
• Tenders for Bandeira's main crushing units have been issued to five suppliers, with proposals now under evaluation.
• The water access lease, mine plan refinement, and portal and crusher tendering progress form part of the company's ongoing pre-construction workstreams at Bandeira.

Lithium Ionic Corp. (TSXV: LTH; OTC: LTHCF; FSE: H3N) is a Canada-based lithium development company. Its principal asset is the 100%-owned Bandeira Lithium Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil, situated within a hard-rock lithium district known as Brazil's "Lithium Valley." The company's strategy centres on engineering, permitting, commercial planning and construction readiness, with the aim of becoming a near-term producer of spodumene concentrate for battery supply chains.

Secured 18-Month Construction-Phase Water Access Lease From Jequitinhonha River

In June 2026, Lithium Ionic entered into an 18-month lease agreement with a local landowner in the municipality of Araçuaí, Minas Gerais, granting direct access to the Jequitinhonha River for water abstraction during the construction phase of Bandeira. The agreement covers an abstraction point on the lessor's property.

The lease allows the company to exercise water rights already granted under its water-use authorization from Brazil's national water agency, the Agência Nacional das Águas.

The agreement supports site-level construction planning for the project.

Completion of Refined Three-Year and Life-of-Mine Plan Validating September 2025 Feasibility Study

NCL Ingeniería y Construcción SpA has completed a detailed three-year mine plan alongside a refined life-of-mine plan for Bandeira. The work sets out the underground mine schedule, the sequencing of development activity and production priorities for the early years of operation, extending through the full life of the project.

This planning work supports the Feasibility Study announced in September 2025, as well as the company's ongoing detailed engineering, construction sequencing and execution planning.

For investors, the update indicates continued alignment between the project's original feasibility work and its subsequent, more detailed mine planning as Bandeira advances toward a construction decision.

Underground Portal Engineering and Crusher Tendering Advancing Construction Readiness

Lithium Ionic has completed basic engineering for Bandeira's two underground mine portals in collaboration with Tractebel Engineering, part of the ENGIE group. With basic engineering finished, the company can now proceed to tender the portal construction work to contractors. The portals are an early-works component of the project.

Separately, the company has issued tenders for Bandeira's main crushing units, the equipment used to break down mined ore into smaller pieces for processing. Five suppliers have submitted proposals, which are currently under evaluation.

Both the portal tendering and crusher procurement fall under the company's broader engineering and execution planning at Bandeira.

Blake Hylands, P.Geo., CEO of Lithium Ionic, said:

"These milestones reflect continued progress across several important pre-construction workstreams at Bandeira. Securing access to reliable construction-phase water access supports site-level readiness, while the completion of updated mine planning, portal engineering and crusher tendering further advances the Project from engineering toward execution planning. Our team remains focused on disciplined engineering, procurement and construction-readiness activities as we continue to move Bandeira toward a construction decision."

Milestones and Next Steps

Lithium Ionic has advanced several pre-construction workstreams at Bandeira, including securing construction-phase water access, refining its mine plan, completing portal engineering, and issuing crusher tenders. Next steps include the ongoing evaluation of crusher supplier proposals, advancement of the portal construction tender, and continued engineering and procurement work as the company moves toward a construction decision on the project.

‍