5E Advanced Materials Commences Mining Operations at 5E Boron Americas Complex

Company commences mining operations and advances vision of becoming the newest domestic producer of boric acid in decades

HESPERIA, Calif., Jan. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 5E Advanced Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq: FEAM) (ASX: 5EA) (“5E” or the “Company”), a boron and lithium company with U.S. government Critical Infrastructure designation for its 5E Boron Americas Complex, today announced that it has officially begun mining operations at the Company’s 5E Boron Americas Complex with the startup of the wellfield injection process.

The Company is now working under its EPA UIC permit to begin extracting valuable minerals from its wholly owned project at Fort Cady. The Company recently announced its operational plan and has now started wellfield operations with the goal of completing outstanding operational items at the facility in parallel. 5E expects to begin lab production in the short-term and production of boric acid and lithium carbonate from the small-scale facility by the end of the first calendar quarter of 2024. This initial production will be used for customer qualification as the Company seeks to obtain bankable offtake agreements and future sales to support FEL 2 engineering as the Company focuses on commercial scale.

Susan Brennan, 5E Advanced Materials CEO stated: “We are excited about reaching this major milestone through the launch of mining operations today at our 5E Boron Americas Complex. The 5E team has been resilient through the construction process, navigating several challenges and ultimately bringing our facility on-line. We look forward to 2024 as we continue advancing our vision as we now become the newest domestic producer of boric acid and lithium carbonate.”

About 5E Advanced Materials, Inc.

5E Advanced Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq: FEAM) (ASX: 5EA) is focused on becoming a vertically integrated global leader and supplier of boron specialty and advanced materials, complemented by lithium co-product production. The Company’s mission is to become a supplier of these critical materials to industries addressing global decarbonization, food and domestic security. Boron and lithium products will target applications in the fields of electric transportation, clean energy infrastructure, such as solar and wind power, fertilizers, and domestic security. The business strategy and objectives are to develop capabilities ranging from upstream extraction and product sales of boric acid, lithium carbonate and potentially other co-products, to downstream boron advanced material processing and development. The business is based on our large domestic boron and lithium resource, which is located in Southern California and designated as Critical Infrastructure by the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.