AE Fuels Joins Australian Critical Metals Research

AE Fuels Corporation (TSXV: AEF) (OTCQB: NRGFF), a US-aligned critical minerals company focused on battery-grade manganese and fluorspar-hydrofluoric acid (HF) supply chains, has announced its participation in the Critical Metals for Critical Industries Cooperative Research Centre (CMCI CRC). The company has joined the CMCI CRC as an industry partner, providing access to a nationally funded platform focused on advancing critical-metals refining and commercialization in Australia.

The partnership supports AE Fuels Corporation's strategy to develop its 100%-owned South Woodie Woodie Manganese Project beyond the production of manganese concentrate and toward higher-value battery-grade manganese products, including High-Purity Manganese Sulphate Monohydrate (HPMSM), Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide (EMD), and Electrolytic Manganese Metal (EMM). The CMCI CRC has received A$53 million in Australian Government funding and brings together industry, research, and government partners with the objective of accelerating critical-metals refining, commercialization, and skills development.

AE Fuels Corporation has already established an NI 43-101 inferred manganese resource and demonstrated a beneficiation pathway, successfully producing battery-grade HPMSM through continuous mini-pilot testing. Participation in the CMCI CRC provides a platform to build on this work through collaborative research, engineering, and commercialization programs. The proposed program is expected to focus on the technical and commercial information required to support further engineering, scale-up, and development decisions.

For AE Fuels Corporation, the collaboration has the potential to advance the technical pathway toward commercial-scale high-purity manganese production, generate engineering and economic data required for investment and development decisions, reduce development risk through the use of specialist research capability and infrastructure, and strengthen access to government support, strategic partners, customers, and project finance. The company intends to work with the CMCI CRC to develop a collaborative project evaluating the conversion of South Woodie Woodie manganese concentrate into higher-value manganese products, including HPMSM, EMD, and EMM.

AE Fuels Corporation has also engaged Atrium Research Corporation to initiate company-sponsored research coverage of the company. The engagement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval and will provide investors with additional insight into AE Fuels Corporation's business, strategy, and growth opportunities. Atrium will publish research reports based on publicly available information and host management interviews designed to provide investors with additional insight into AE Fuels Corporation's business, strategy, and growth opportunities.

AE Fuels Corporation's proposed project remains subject to agreement on its scope, partners, funding, intellectual property arrangements, and required CRC approvals. The company holds a 100% interest in the South Woodie Woodie Manganese Project in the Pilbara District of Western Australia, which covers 533.4 square kilometres and contains an NI 43-101 inferred mineral resource of 11.3 million tonnes grading 15.0% manganese at a 10.1% manganese cut-off. Following the recent expansion of its South Woodie Woodie tenure, AE Fuels Corporation is advancing resource growth, beneficiation, and downstream processing as part of an integrated battery-grade manganese strategy.

AE Fuels Corporation is a US-aligned critical minerals company focused on battery-grade manganese and fluorspar-hydrofluoric acid (HF) supply chains. The company's strategy connects allied-country manganese supply (Pilbara, Western Australia) and domestic US fluorspar supply (New Mexico, USA) with US midstream processing and downstream supply chains. Manganese and fluorspar are designated critical minerals in the US, Australia, and EU, and essential to multiple high-growth industries, including battery materials, semiconductor fabrication, and advanced electronics, nuclear fuel processing, and clean energy technologies. AE Fuels Corporation is advancing development activities aimed at delivering reliable, allied-sourced supply of these materials to reduce foreign dependency and strengthen US industrial base resilience across these key industries.