American Battery Technology Company Releases Positive Pre-Feasibility Study for Tonopah Flats Lithium Project

Reno, Nev., Oct. 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

American Battery Technology Company

(NASDAQ: ABAT), an built-in important battery supplies firm commercializing each its major battery mineral manufacturing and lithium-ion battery recycling amenities, has revealed the S-Ok 1300 Technical Report and Pre-Feasibility Research (PFS) for its

Tonopah Flats Lithium Project

(TFLP) close to Tonopah, Nevada. The research confirms the mission’s strong financial potential and potential strategic significance as a cornerstone of the home important mineral lithium provide chain.

“The mission metrics demonstrated on this PFS are additional validation that the first-principles physics primarily based, internally-developed design for this claystone to battery grade important mineral lithium hydroxide processing practice is very aggressive in each the U.S. and the worldwide markets,” acknowledged American Battery Expertise Firm CEO Ryan Melsert. “It confirms the immense potential of the Tonopah Flats Lithium Undertaking on this pivotal second when the U.S. is going through restrictions on the sourcing of important minerals and excessive stress to ramp the manufacturing of those important minerals from home assets. We’re excited to proceed on our accelerated pathway to bringing this mission to commercialization to contribute in the direction of gaining U.S. independence in its important mineral manufacturing provide chain.”

Tonopah Flats Lithium Undertaking PFS Highlights:

• 
  Facility Manufacturing:
  
  30,000 tonnes/yr lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM), with mission economics calculated for a 45-year life-of-mine using solely southern portion of property
• 
  Financially Aggressive:
  
  After-tax NPV@8% of $2.57 billion, IRR 21.8%, and seven.5 yr payback from preliminary funding
• 
  Extremely Aggressive Manufacturing Price:
  
  Discount to $4,307/tonne LHM manufacturing value, 9.2% discount from April 2024 Preliminary Evaluation
• 
  Elevated Grade
  
  : Grade coming into refinery elevated to roughly 2,100 ppm Li from roughly 800 ppm Li via beneficiation strategies to take away low-lithium bearing elements from bulk claystone
• 
  Lowered Power Price:
  
  Built-in behind-the-meter onsite energy era with battery power storage system (BESS) dietary supplements grid electrical energy with the intention to synergistically optimize facility power administration, leads to considerably decrease efficient value of electrical energy
• 
  Confirmed Scale-Up:
  
  Multi-tonne per day built-in pilot facility constructed and commissioned in 2024 to additional optimize operational parameters, cut back power consumption, and enhance restoration and native recycling of chemical brokers
• 
  Important Enhance in Useful resource+
  
  
  and Reserve Classifications:
  
  • Sizeable 53% enhance in Measured and Indicated Sources, and whole enhance in lithium assets of 11% in comparison with April 2024 Preliminary Evaluation
  • Institution of two.73 million tonnes of LHM confirmed and possible reserves, below relevant Securities and Trade Fee (SEC) guidelines, which is the a part of a mineral useful resource that has been confirmed as economically and legally mineable via a complete and dependable report
• 
  Chosen for Streamlined Allowing by Trump Administration:
  
  In June 2025, the ABTC TFLP was chosen by the FAST-41 Allowing Council and the Nationwide Power Dominance Council (NEDC) as a Transparency Precedence Undertaking in accordance with President Trump’s March 20
  
  ^th
  
  Government Order “
  
  Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production
  
  ” with the intention to “establish precedence initiatives that may be instantly permitted or for which allows will be instantly issued, and take all obligatory or applicable actions inside the company’s authority to expedite and challenge the related permits or approvals”

• 
  Important Completion of Allowing Efforts:
  
  ABTC has accomplished and submitted all required NEPA Baseline Reviews for the allowing of the TFLP, in addition to a complete Mine Plan of Operations (MPO), that are at present below overview by the BLM
• 
  Preliminary Approval for Low-Price Financing for Facility Buildout:
  
  In April 2025 ABTC obtained preliminary approval for low-cost debt financing of $900 million via a Letter of Curiosity from the US Export-Import Financial institution to help the buildout of the TFLP facility
  

ABTC TFLP Lithium Sources and Reserves (million tonnes LHM)

*

Initial Assessment published in April 2024


** Lithium assets, inclusive of reserves

Tonopah Flats Lithium Undertaking Overview

The Tonopah Flats Lithium Undertaking (TFLP) is a lithium-bearing claystone deposit roughly 11 km (7 miles) west of Tonopah, Nevada.  ABTC owns 100% of the claims comprising the TFLP and has carried out a number of rounds of exploration since 2021.  ABTC has designed its personal internally-developed first-principles physics primarily based applied sciences for the extraction of lithium from a lot of these lithium bearing claystones.

Typical processing of claystones depends on robust acid leaching, basically using giant quantities of mineral acids to dissolve the complete claystone construction, after which using sophisticated impurity removing and conversion strategies to isolate the dissolved lithium from the massive quantities of different dissolved species.  This leads to excessive working prices because of the giant use of chemical consumables, and likewise excessive footprints attributable to the usage of giant areas for tailings administration.

ABTC has developed, and demonstrated at pilot-scale, a set of applied sciences that may liberate the lithium from these claystones with out use of huge quantities of acid and with out dissolving the claystone construction itself. This permits for decrease working prices and smaller facility footprints whereas nonetheless attaining excessive restoration efficiencies.  By means of these strategies, ABTC can also be capable of straight manufacture a battery grade LHM product, versus lithium carbonate historically made at typical amenities.  LHM is usually the required type of lithium when manufacturing excessive power density nickel-oxide primarily based cathode supplies prevalent within the western hemisphere.

This PFS represents a major step ahead from the corporate’s Preliminary Evaluation revealed in April 2024, offering an up to date useful resource estimate, reserve estimate, detailed mining plan, up to date mineral processing and metallurgical evaluation, tailings and mine waste administration, replace on allowing issues, and a resultant financial analysis.

Pre-Feasibility Research Highlights

Mineral Sources+


and Reserves


The Mineral Useful resource estimate has been up to date with a number of further drilling campaigns performed in 2024 and 2025, and this resulted within the updating of the geologic and mineralization domains. The mannequin was estimated with SGSim to successfully estimate grade and cut back the uncertainty of the Mineral Useful resource.

With addition of this elevated exploration information, the Measured and Indicated useful resource elevated by 53% from the Preliminary Evaluation in April 2024, whereas the overall useful resource elevated by 11%.

Tonopah Flats Mineral Sources Estimate, Inclusive of Reserves

ktonnes = kilotonnes

LHM = Lithium hydroxide monohydrate

ppm = components per million

Tonnes = metric tonnes

The ensuing Measured and Indicated Mineral Useful resource demonstrates a excessive degree of high quality and confidence, making it appropriate for conversion right into a Mineral Reserve—outlined as indicated and measured mineral assets that, within the opinion of a certified individual, will be the premise of an economically viable mission below a selected mine plan. Notably, the Mineral Useful resource unique of the present Mineral Reserve inside the Measured and Indicated classes quantities to 2,333,767 ktonnes at 712 ppm Li, highlighting vital upside potential for extra reserve classification. This substantial useful resource quantity outdoors the prevailing reserve underscores alternatives for future mine plan enlargement, doubtlessly extending the mission’s life and enhancing its total financial worth.

Tonopah Flats Mineral Reserves Estimate

ktonnes = kilotonnes

LHM = Lithium hydroxide monohydrate

ppm = components per million

Tonnes = metric tonnes

Undertaking Growth and Commercialization Plan

The mission is deliberate as a standard floor mine with a devoted on-site processing plant to straight produce battery grade LHM onsite.  Development of the amenities shall be phased to optimize manufacturing and handle capital expenditure.

• 
  Phased Growth:
  
  Incremental ramp-up of manufacturing capability minimizes preliminary capital expenditure and operational dangers

• 
  Mining Operations:
  
  The mine will function 24/7, using typical floor mine strategies to feed the refinery at a fee of roughly 12.4 million tonnes per yr. Manufacturing of preliminary section will ramp up over the primary two years, focusing on full capability by Yr 3

• 
  Processing & Refining:
  
  A business processing plant shall be constructed on-site to provide battery-grade LHM permitting vertical integration and price effectivity
• 
  Industrial On-site Processing Plant:
  
  The business processing plant shall be constructed in three phases, beginning with a 5,000 tonnes each year (tpa) capability and increasing to the complete 30,000 tpa

• 
  Infrastructure:
  
  The mission advantages from its strategic location close to the city of Tonopah, with shut entry to present infrastructure

Subsequent Steps and Suggestions


The PFS confirms that the Tonopah Flats mission is technically and economically viable and may proceed to the following stage of improvement. To advance the mission to commercialization, the corporate has a number of key steps deliberate. The fast precedence is to proceed with a Definitive Feasibility Research, with an estimated value between $5.8 million and $6.8 million, to proceed the commercialization of this mission.

Key future actions will embody:

• 
  Definitive Feasibility Research (DFS):
  
  Advancing the mission to a DFS to additional de-risk the mission and refine engineering, execution plans, and price estimates

• 
  Allowing and Environmental Assessment:
  
  Persevering with with the allowing course of to safe all obligatory approvals for development and operation and ongoing engagement with the Bureau of Land Administration (BLM) and different cooperating companies to finalize all required processes below the Nationwide Environmental Coverage Act (NEPA)
• 
  Additional Analysis & Testing:
  
  Extra metallurgical check work, geotechnical drilling, and a passive seismic research to proceed to optimize efficiency of processing strategies

• 
  Detailed Engineering:
  
  Persevering with detailed design for the mine, processing facility, and supporting infrastructure with inner workforce and contracted EPC agency

• 
  Infrastructure and Group Engagement:
  
  Persevering with work with native utilities to make sure adequate energy infrastructure and the event of neighborhood engagement plans to deal with native wants and establish areas for mutual profit to make sure that each the mission and the area people develop collectively, creating lasting financial and social worth for the area
• 
  Dedication to Environmental Stewardship:
  
  Devoted to lowering environmental influence in comparison with typical mining and refining practices, the mission emphasizes accountable mining, land restoration, and defending native ecosystems

The impartial Certified Individuals liable for making ready the scientific and technical info disclosed on this launch asserting the S-Ok 1300 Technical Report and Preliminary Feasibility Research are Daniel R. Palo (Barr Engineering Co.), Jeffrey Woods (Woods Course of Companies, LLC), and Jacob Anderson (Dahrouge Geologic Consulting Ltd.).

Learn the complete ABTC Prefeasibility Research right here:

Tonopah Flats Lithium Project

.

About American Battery Expertise Firm


American Battery Expertise Firm (ABTC), headquartered in Reno, Nevada, has pioneered first-of-kind applied sciences to unlock domestically manufactured and recycled battery metals critically wanted to assist meet the numerous demand from the electrical car, stationary storage, and shopper electronics industries. Dedicated to a round provide chain for battery metals, ABTC works to repeatedly innovate and grasp new battery metals applied sciences that energy a worldwide transition to electrification and the way forward for sustainable power.

Inferred Useful resource


Inferred Mineral Useful resource is that a part of a mineral useful resource for which amount and grade or high quality are estimated on the premise of restricted geological proof and sampling. The extent of geological uncertainty related to an Inferred Mineral Useful resource is just too excessive to use related technical and financial components prone to affect the prospects of financial extraction in a fashion helpful for analysis of financial viability. As a result of an Inferred Mineral Useful resource has the bottom degree of geological confidence of all mineral assets, which prevents the appliance of the modifying components in a fashion helpful for analysis of financial viability, an Inferred Mineral Useful resource might not be thought-about when assessing the financial viability of a mining mission, and might not be transformed to a mineral reserve.

Indicated Useful resource


Indicated Mineral Useful resource is that a part of a mineral useful resource for which amount and grade or high quality are estimated on the premise of satisfactory geological proof and sampling. The extent of geological certainty related to an Indicated Mineral Useful resource is adequate to permit a certified individual to use modifying components in adequate element to help mine planning and analysis of the financial viability of the deposit. As a result of an Indicated Mineral Useful resource has a decrease degree of confidence than the extent of confidence of a Measured Mineral Useful resource, an Indicated Mineral Useful resource could solely be transformed to a Possible Mineral Reserve.

Measured Useful resource


Measured Mineral Useful resource is that a part of a mineral useful resource for which amount and grade or high quality are estimated on the premise of conclusive geological proof and sampling. The extent of geological certainty related to a Measured Mineral Useful resource is adequate to permit a certified individual to use modifying components, as outlined on this part, in adequate element to help detailed mine planning and remaining analysis of the financial viability of the deposit. As a result of a Measured Mineral Useful resource has the next degree of confidence than the extent of confidence of both an Indicated Mineral Useful resource or an Inferred Mineral Useful resource, a Measured Mineral Useful resource could also be transformed to a Confirmed Mineral Reserve or to a Possible Mineral Reserve.

Mineral Reserve




Mineral Reserve is an estimate of tonnage and grade or high quality of indicated and measured mineral assets that, within the opinion of the certified individual, will be the premise of an economically viable mission. Extra particularly, it’s the economically mineable a part of a measured or indicated mineral useful resource, which incorporates diluting supplies and allowances for losses which will happen when the fabric is mined or extracted.

Possible Mineral Reserve


Possible Mineral Reserve is the economically mineable a part of an indicated and, in some circumstances, a measured mineral useful resource.

Confirmed Mineral Reserve


Confirmed Mineral Reserve is the economically mineable a part of a measured mineral useful resource and might solely end result from conversion of a measured mineral useful resource.

Pre-Feasibility Research


A Preliminary Feasibility Research (or Pre-Feasibility Research) is a complete research of a spread of choices for the technical and financial viability of a mineral mission that has superior to a stage the place a certified individual has decided (within the case of underground mining) a most popular mining methodology, or (within the case of floor mining) a pit configuration, and in all circumstances has decided an efficient methodology of mineral processing and an efficient plan to promote the product. A Pre-Feasibility Research features a monetary evaluation primarily based on affordable assumptions, primarily based on applicable testing, concerning the modifying components and the analysis of another related components which might be adequate for a certified individual to find out if all or a part of the Indicated and Measured Mineral Sources could also be transformed to mineral reserves on the time of reporting. The monetary evaluation will need to have the extent of element essential to show, on the time of reporting, that extraction is economically viable. A Pre-Feasibility Research is much less complete and leads to a decrease confidence degree than a feasibility research. A Pre-Feasibility research is extra complete and leads to the next confidence degree than an Preliminary Evaluation.

Preliminary Evaluation


An Preliminary Evaluation is a preliminary technical and financial research of the financial potential of all or components of mineralization to help the disclosure of mineral assets. The Preliminary Evaluation should be ready by a certified individual and should embody applicable assessments of moderately assumed technical and financial components, along with another related operational components, which might be essential to show on the time of reporting that there are affordable prospects for financial extraction. An Preliminary Evaluation is required for disclosure of mineral assets however can’t be used as the premise for disclosure of mineral reserves. An Preliminary Evaluation is preliminary in nature and contains Inferred Mineral Sources which might be thought-about too speculative geologically to have the financial issues utilized that will allow them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There isn’t any certainty that the financial outcomes of an preliminary evaluation shall be realized. The mineral useful resource estimates introduced within the ABTC Tonopah Flats Preliminary Evaluation had been carried out by third-party, certified individual RESPEC, LLC and had been categorized by geological and quantitative confidence in accordance with the Securities and Trade Fee (SEC) Regulation S-Ok 1300.

Ahead-Trying Statements


This press launch comprises “forward-looking statements” inside the which means of the secure harbor provisions of the U.S. Non-public Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, apart from statements of historic reality, are “forward-looking statements.” Though the American Battery Expertise Firm’s (the “Firm”) administration believes that such forward-looking statements are affordable, it can not assure that such expectations are, or shall be, appropriate. Ahead wanting statements embody, amongst different issues, statements regarding: offtake agreements with prospects; the Firm’s future gross sales of merchandise to prospects, together with the quantities, timing, and kinds of merchandise included inside these gross sales; potential loans, grants, and debt financing preparations, together with due diligence, the quantity and sort of debt, its syndication, and the schedule for closing; the size of the battery recycling operations; the anticipated manufacturing from the built-in pilot facility; the size, development, and operation of the battery recycling operations, built-in pilot facility, Tonopah Flats Lithium Undertaking, and business lithium mine and refinery; and the prices, schedules, manufacturing and financial projections related to the foregoing. These forward-looking statements contain quite a lot of dangers and uncertainties, which may trigger the Firm’s future outcomes to vary materially from these anticipated. Potential dangers and uncertainties embody, amongst others, dangers and uncertainties associated to the Firm’s skill to proceed as a going concern; interpretations or reinterpretations of geologic info, unfavorable exploration outcomes, incapacity to acquire permits required for future exploration, improvement or manufacturing, basic financial circumstances and circumstances affecting the industries through which the Firm operates; the uncertainty of regulatory necessities and approvals; fluctuating mineral and commodity costs, remaining funding approval and the flexibility to acquire obligatory financing on acceptable phrases or in any respect. Extra info concerning the components which will trigger precise outcomes to vary materially from these forward-looking statements is accessible within the Firm’s filings with the Securities and Trade Fee, together with the Annual Report on Type 10-Ok for the yr ended June 30, 2025. The Firm assumes no obligation to replace any of the knowledge contained or referenced on this press launch.

[+]

Contains Inferred, Indicated, and Measured Sources, which have decrease ranges of geological confidence than reserves and in sure circumstances might not be thought-about when assessing the financial viability of a mining mission. Essential info concerning limitations with respect to assets is described on the finish of this launch.