EMP NR - Construction Complete and Commissioning Update - August 5, 2026
Tel: 604-689-7422 204 – 252 Esplanade West, North Vancouver, BC V7M 0E9
EMP METALS COMPLETES CONSTRUCTION OF PROJECT AURORA
DEMONSTRATION PLANT AND ADVANCES COMMISSIONING TOWARD
Q3 START-UP
Vancouver, British Columbia, August 5, 2026 – EMP Metals Corp. (CSE: EMPS) (OTCQB: EMPPF)
(FSE: 9ST) ("EMP Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that construction of its
Project Aurora Demonstration Plant located within the Company's Viewfield Project Area in
Saskatchewan has been successfully completed.
The fully integrated demonstration facility is now directly connected to both the production well
and waste brine disposal well, allowing continuous wellhead brine delivery to the facility process
while returning spent brine to the targeted disposal interval. This integrated configuration
enables full commissioning of the demonstration plant under real operating conditions and is
among the first Lithium Brine facilities in Canada to achieve this level of integration.
Commissioning activities continue to progress according to plan and are now approximately 50%
complete. Live production brine is currently being processed through multiple operating systems
as commissioning advances toward full plant start -up. The Company remains on schedule to
commence demonstration operations during the third quarter of 2026.
Figure 1 – Project Aurora direct wellhead connected piping for production and disposal brine
Tel: 604-689-7422 204 – 252 Esplanade West, North Vancouver, BC V7M 0E9
The demonstration plant has now achieved several key milestones, including:
• Construction and field infrastructure 100% complete.
• Direct wellhead connection established to both production and disposal wells.
• Raw brine delivery from the production well into the process facility and advancing
towards continuous flow, steady state operations.
• Waste brine disposal system fully operational with injection into the targeted disposal
formation.
• Approximately 50% of the overall commissioning schedule completed.
• Commissioning advancing across all major processing systems.
• Start-up in Q3 2026 remains on schedule.
"Completing construction of Project Aurora marks a major milestone for EMP as we transition
from building the facility to operating it," said Karl Kottmeier, CEO of EMP Metals. "Having the
demonstration plant fully connected directly to both the production well and disposal well allows
us to commission the facility under true field operating conditions. Fresh production brine is now
flowing through the process as we continue integrating each system, and with commissioning
approximately halfway complete, we remain on schedule for Q3 start-up."
Project Aurora is EMP's integrated, continuous -flow lithium refining demonstration system
designed to process ten (10) m³/day of raw brine from wellhead to lithium chemicals. The facility
is intended to validate process performance, optimize operating para meters, and generate
engineering and economic data to support future commercial-scale development.
The demonstration program represents a key step toward commercializing EMP's lithium brine
resource in Saskatchewan. Operational data generated throughout the demonstration campaign
will support engineering design, process optimization, and economic evalua tion for a future
modular commercial facility capable of producing more than 3,000 tonnes per year of lithium
products.
EMP's Saskatchewan lithium resource continues to benefit from favourable brine chemistry free
of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and oil -derived organics, shallow low -cost drilling, established
infrastructure, and a supportive critical minerals regulatory environme nt, positioning the
Company to pursue initial commercial modules targeting 1,500 to 3,000 annually, expandable
thereafter.
About EMP Metals
EMP is a Canadian-based lithium exploration and development company focused on large -scale
resources using direct lithium extraction (DLE). EMP currently holds over 205,000 net acres
(83,000 hectares) of Subsurface Dispositions and strategic wellbores in Southern Saskatchewan.
Tel: 604-689-7422 204 – 252 Esplanade West, North Vancouver, BC V7M 0E9
For more information, please go to the Company’s website at www.empmetals.com or contact:
Karl Kottmeier, CEO
Phone: 1-604-689-7422
Paul Schubach, COO
Phone: 1-306-519-8341
Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on
assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current
estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance.
EMP Metals cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and that
actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond
EMP Metals’ control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating
to EMP Metals' limited operating history, ability to obtain sufficient financing to carry out its
exploration and development objectives on its mineral properties, obtaining the necessary
permits to carry out its activities and the need to comply with environmental and governmental
regulations. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially
from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-
looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, EMP Metals
undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.
The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the information
contained herein and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news
release.