Aclara Receives Exim Bank Letter of Interest FOR up to US$750 Million
ACLARA RECEIVES EXIM BANK LETTER OF INTEREST FOR UP TO
US$750 MILLION
TORONTO, ON, September 4, 2026 – Aclara Resources Inc. (“Aclara” or the “Company”) (TSX: ARA) is
pleased to announce that the Export-Import Bank of the United States (“EXIM”) has issued a Letter of Interest
indicating its willingness to consider providing up to US$750 million in financing to support the development
of Project Dynamo, Aclara’s planned rare earth separation, metals and alloys facility in Louisiana, United
States.
Based on preliminary information provided by Aclara regarding the expected U.S. exports and U.S. jobs
supported by the separation, metals and alloys facility, EXIM indicated that potential financing could cover
up to US$750 million of project costs with a repayment tenor of up to 15 years under EXIM’s Make More in
America (“MMIA”) initiative.
The Letter of Interest represents a significant milestone in Aclara’s financing strategy, providing a pathway
toward a long-term financing package to support the construction and execution of Aclara’s U.S. separation,
metals and alloys facility at the Port of Vinton in Louisiana.
Ramón Barúa, Chief Executive Officer of Aclara, commented:
“EXIM’s interest in financing our separation, metals and alloys facility in Louisiana represents a key milestone
for Aclara and a strong validation of our strategy to build an integrated mine-to-alloy rare earth supply chain.
Over the past several years, our team has systematically advanced each component of this strategy, building
on our mineral reserves in Brazil and mineral resources in Chile, developing proprietary processing
technologies, and advancing engineering and permitting with the support of strong and committed
shareholders.
The potential support from EXIM would provide a pathway to bring these capabilities together at industrial
scale. Our objective is to establish a secure, traceable and sustainable supply chain capable of serving U.S.
and allied industries across some of the most critical sectors of the global economy. This includes
electromobility, robotics and advanced technologies, as well as the rapidly growing AI economy, where the
expansion of data centers is driving unprecedented demand for reliable power generation. By supplying the
critical rare earths required for high -performance permanent magnets and advanced power generation
applications, Aclara aims to become a long -term partner to the industries and technologies shaping the
future.
We are grateful for EXIM’s consideration of our U.S. separation, metals and alloys facility and look forward
to working closely together as we advance it into its next stage of development. ”
Building an Integrated Rare Earth Processing Platform
Project Dynamo is a central component of Aclara’s strategy to establish an independent and vertically
integrated supply chain for heavy rare earths. The facility is being developed in Louisiana and is designed to
separate Aclara’s Super Pure Rare Earth Carbonate (“SPREC”), produced from its South American ionic clay
deposits, into individual rare earth oxides, including neodymium-praseodymium (“NdPr”), dysprosium (“Dy”),
terbium (“Tb”), samarium (“Sm”), gadolinium (“Gd”) and yttrium (“Y”). The facility is also planned to
incorporate metals and alloys processing capabilities to convert separated rare earth oxides into the alloys
required for high-performance permanent magnets and other advanced technologies.
Aclara is currently demonstrating its proprietary solvent extraction technology for separation at its Virginia
Tech facility. In parallel, the Company is advancing its rare earth metals and alloys capabilities through the
operation of an industrial -scale molten salt electrolysis cell in Chile , providing a pathway to validate the
downstream conversion of separated rare earth oxides into metals and alloys. These technology
demonstration programs are progressing alongside the development of the commercial -scale facility in
Louisiana, where the ba sic engineering being completed by Hatch and key permitting activities required to
commence construction are both in their final stages . Together, these efforts are expected to position the
Louisiana facility to be construction-ready by the end of 2026.
The Louisiana facility is being designed to supply critical rare earth s into markets experiencing significant
structural growth and increasing requirements for secure and diversified supply chains. Its separated oxides,
metals and alloys are expected to serve the high -performance permanent magnet industry, supporting
applications across electromobility, robotics and other advanced technologies, while also supplying rare earth
materials required for power generation applications. The latter is becoming increasingly relevant as the
rapid deployment of data centers and AI infrastr ucture creates substantial new requirements for reliable
power generation. By integrating rare earth separation with metals and alloys production, Aclara aims to
establish a domestic industrial platform capable of supplying the advanced materials underpinning the next
generation of industrial, technological and energy development.
EXIM Make More in America Initiative
EXIM’s Make More in America initiative provides financing tools intended to support U.S. manufacturing,
strengthen domestic supply chains and create U.S. jobs through projects with an export nexus.
The Letter of Interest is non -binding and remains subject to EXIM’s customary due diligence, application,
underwriting, authorization, documentation and other requirements. The issuance of the Letter of Interest
does not represent a final financing commitm ent by EXIM, and there can be no assurance that the
contemplated financing will ultimately be approved or completed.
Aclara intends to continue working with EXIM as it advances the engineering, permitting and financing of
Project Dynamo.
About Aclara
Aclara Resources Inc. (TSX: ARA), a Toronto Stock Exchange listed company, is focused on building a
vertically integrated supply chain for rare earth alloys used in permanent magnets. This strategy is supported
by Aclara’s development of rare earth mineral resources hosted in ionic clay deposits, which contain high
concentrations of the scarce heavy rare earths, providing the Company with a long -term, reliable source of
these critical materials. The Company’s rare earth mineral resource development projects include the Carina
Project in the State of Goiás, Brazil as its flagship project and the Penco Module in the Biobío Region of
Chile. Both projects feature Aclara’s patented technology named Circular Mineral Harvesting, which offers a
sustainable and energy -efficient extraction process for rare earths from ionic clay deposits. The Circular
Mineral Harvesting process has been designed to minimize the water consumption and overall environmental
impact through recycling and circular economy principles. Through its wholly -owned subsidiary, Aclara
Technologies Inc., the Company is further enhancing its product value by developing a rare earths separation
plant in the United States. This facility will process mixed rare earth carbonates sourced from Aclara’s mineral
resource projects, separating them into pure individual rare earth oxides. Additionally, Aclara through a joint
venture with CAP, is advancing its alloy -making capabilities to convert thes e refined oxides into the alloys
needed for fabricating permanent magnets. This joint venture leverages CAP’s extensive expertise in metal
refining and special ferro -alloyed steels. Beyond the Carina Project and the Penco Module, Aclara is
committed to exp anding its mineral resource portfolio by exploring greenfield opportunities and further
developing projects within its existing concessions in Brazil, Chile, and Peru, aiming to increase future
production of heavy rare earths.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains “forward -looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities
legislation, which reflects the Company’s current expectations regarding future events, including statements
with regard to the potential financing of up to US$750 million by the Export-Import Bank of the United States
(“EXIM”) for Project Dynamo, including the potential amount, terms, tenor, availability and use of proceeds
of such financing; the Company’s ability to satisfy EXIM’s eligibility, due diligence, underwriting, authorization,
documentation and other requirements and to obtain a final financing commitment from EXIM; the
advancement, development, financing, construction, commissioning and operation of Project Dynamo and
the timing thereof, including the expectation that the facility will be construction-ready by the end of 2026; the
completion of basic engineering and permitting activities for Project Dynamo; the planned design, scale,
processing capabilities and product portfolio of Project Dynamo, including the separation of rare earth
elements and the production of rare earth metals and alloys; the advancement and successful demonstration
of the Company’s rare earth separation technology at Virginia Tech and its metals and alloys processing
capabilities in Chile; the ability to scale and integrate such technologies into commercial operations in
Louisiana; the anticipated supply of SPREC from the Company’s mineral resource projects in South America
to Project Dynamo; the Company’s plans to establish an independent, vertically integrated and domestic
mine-to-alloy rare earth supply chain; anticipated demand for the Company’s rare earth products and their
potential use in permanent magnets, electromobility, robotics, advanced technologies, power genera tion,
data centers and AI -related infrastructure; the Company’s ability to supply U.S. and allied industries and
establish long-term commercial relationships with customers in such markets; and the Company’s broader
strategy to develop and expand its rare earth mineral resources, separation capabilities and metals and alloys
production. Forward looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of
risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. Such risks and uncertainties
include, but are not limited to, the factors discussed under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s annual information
form dated as of March 18, 2026, filed on the Company’s SEDAR + profile. Actual results and timing could
differ materially from those projected herein. Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise indicates, the
forward-looking information contained in this news release is provided as of the date of this news relea se
and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as
a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required under applicable
securities laws.
For further information, please contact:
Ramón Barúa Costa
Chief Executive Officer