Graphite One's Graphite Creek Project Approved for FAST-41 Federal Permitting Dashboard Graphite One becomes the first Alaskan Critical Mineral mining project on the FAST-41 Dashboard FAST-41 status follows completion of Graphite One Feasibility Study funded by a
Graphite One's Graphite Creek Project Approved for FAST-41 Federal
Permitting Dashboard
Graphite One becomes the first Alaskan Critical Mineral mining project on the FAST-41 Dashboard
FAST-41 status follows completion of Graphite One Feasibility Study funded by a
$37.3M
award under the Defense Production Act
G1 enters Permitting Phase as Presidential Critical Mineral Executive Order calls for "Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral
Production" and "Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential"
VANCOUVER, BC
,
June 3, 2025
/CNW/ - Graphite One Inc. (TSXV: GPH) (OTCQX: GPHOF) ("
Graphite One
", the "
Company
", or
"G1"
), is
pleased to announce that the Company's Graphite Creek project – the upstream anchor for G1's complete U.S.-based advanced graphite supply
chain ("
Graphite Creek
")– has been accepted as a "covered project" onto the FAST-41 Permitting Dashboard. Graphite One's project is the first
Alaskan mining project to be listed on the FAST-41 Dashboard.
"The approval of Graphite Creek as FAST-41's first Alaskan mining project is a major step for G1 and our complete U.S.-based supply chain
strategy," said
Anthony Huston
, CEO of Graphite One. "With President Trump's Critical Mineral and Alaska Executive Orders, Graphite One is
positioned at the leading edge of a domestic Critical Mineral renaissance that will power transformational applications from energy and transportation
to AI infrastructure and national defense."
Graphite One's domestic supply chain is planned to produce graphite concentrate from the Graphite Creek deposit North of
Nome, Alaska
and Anode
Active Material at a facility to be constructed in
Warren, Ohio
, subject to financing (the "
Project
").
FAST-41 status follows publication of Graphite One's Feasibility Study ("
FS
") on
April 23, 2025
, which, with the support of the Department of
Defense Production Act (DPA) award, was completed 15 months ahead of schedule. The annual graphite concentrate capacity of the Graphite
Creek Mine in the FS was increased from that in the 2022 Pre-Feasibility Study ("
PFS
") – from 53,000 tpy to 175,000 tpy while maintaining a 20-year
mine life. Measured plus Indicated Resources increased to 322% of the PFS resource. The FS projects a post-tax internal rate of return of 27%,
using an 8% discount rate, with a net present value of
$5.03 billion
and a payback period of 7.5 years.
FAST-41 streamlines the permitting process by providing improved timeliness and predictability by establishing publicly posted timelines and
procedures for federal agencies, reducing unpredictability in the permitting process. FAST-41 also provides issue resolution mechanisms, while the
federal permitting dashboard allows all project stakeholders and the general public to track a project's progress, including periods for public
comment.
The action drew strong support from
Alaska's
leading public officials:
"America's dependency on foreign minerals and metals is a drag on our economy and a danger to our national security," said
Alaska
Governor
Mike Dunleavy. "As the largest natural graphite deposit in the nation, adding Graphite Creek to the FAST-41 Permitting Dashboard sends a strong
signal that
Alaska
is key to U.S. Critical Mineral development."
"Graphite One's addition to the FAST-41 permitting dashboard is yet another indication that this project is a national priority of strategic importance,"
said Senator Lisa Murkowski. "There is no question that developing the largest natural graphite deposit in all of
North America
is far better for our
economy, security, and competitiveness than importing the entirety of our supply from unstable nations like
Mozambique
. I thank the Trump
administration for adding Graphite One to the dashboard and look forward to the day this project comes online."
"I want to congratulate Graphite One, which has achieved this milestone thanks to funding from the Defense Production Act, something I have been
working on relentlessly in the Senate since the project's inception," said Senator
Dan Sullivan
. "This project has the potential to open up our state's
abundant reserves of critical minerals and metals, which would also be very significant for our country's national security. We must end America's
dependence on
China
for critical minerals, like graphite, resources that are necessary for alternative energy and sources and critical defense
technologies. Thankfully, President Trump understands our state's great potential, and is determined to help unleash our vast resources and create
good paying jobs to Alaskans. Graphite One's FAST-41 status is great news for our state and our country."
"Securing our supply chains for critical minerals is a core priority and requires a whole of government approach." said
Alaska
Congressman
Nick
Begich
. "Our national security, sovereignty, and continued self-determination require that we take action, and Graphite One is leading the way."
Graphite One's Complete U.S.-Based Supply Chain Strategy
The Project is planned as an integrated business operation to produce lithium-ion battery anode materials and other graphite products for the U.S
domestic market on a commercial scale using primarily natural graphite from
Alaska
. The Project combines the operation of an advanced graphite
manufacturing facility to be located in
Warren Ohio
with the supply of natural flake graphite from the Company's proposed Graphite Creek Mine in
Alaska
. The resources associated with the Company's Alaska State mining claims were cited by the U.S. Geological Survey in
January 2022
as
America's largest natural graphite deposit
1
, and in 2023, "as among the largest in the world." This precedes the FS-verified deposit amount increase.
The
Ohio
manufacturing facility received a
$325M
Letter of Interest from the EXIM Bank in September 2024.
____________________________
1
https://www.usgs.gov/data/graphite-deposits-united-states
About the Permitting Council and FAST-41
Established in 2015 by Title 41 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41), the Permitting Council is a federal agency charged with
improving the transparency and predictability of the federal environmental review and authorization process for certain critical infrastructure projects.
The Permitting Council is comprised of the Permitting Council Executive Director, who serves as the Council Chair; 13 federal agency Council
members (including deputy secretary-level designees of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Army, Commerce, Interior, Energy, Transportation, Defense,
Homeland Security, and Housing and Urban Development, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Chairs of the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation); and the Chair of the White
House Council on Environmental Quality and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
The Permitting Council coordinates federal environmental reviews and authorizations for projects that seek and qualify for FAST-41 coverage. FAST-
41 covered projects are entitled to comprehensive permitting timetables and transparent, collaborative management of those timetables on the
Federal Permitting Dashboard. FAST-41 covered projects may be in the energy production, electricity transmission, energy storage, surface
transportation, aviation, ports and waterways, water resource, broadband, pipelines, manufacturing, mining, carbon capture, semiconductors,
artificial intelligence and machine learning, high-performance computing and advanced computer hardware and software, quantum information science
and technology, data storage and data management, and cybersecurity sectors.
The Permitting Council also serves as a federal center for permitting excellence, supporting federal efforts to improve infrastructure permitting
including and beyond FAST-41 covered projects to the extent authorized by law, including activities that promote or provide for the efficient, timely,
and predictable completion of environmental reviews and authorizations for federally-authorized infrastructure projects.
Qualified Person
Jason Todd
, with Barr Engineering Co. is the primary qualified person for the Feasibility Study incorporated in the NI 43-101 technical report that is
available under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at
www.sedarplus.ca
and the Company's website. Mr. Todd is a Qualified Person as defined under
43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this release.
About Graphite One Inc.
GRAPHITE ONE INC. (TSX
V: GPH; OTCQX: GPHOF) continues to develop its Graphite One Project (the "
Project
"), with the goal of becoming an
American producer of high grade anode materials that is integrated with a domestic graphite resource. The Project is proposed as a vertically
integrated enterprise to mine, process and manufacture high grade anode materials primarily for the lithium
ion electric vehicle battery market.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
"Anthony Huston" (signed)
For more information on Graphite One Inc., please visit the Company's website,
www.GraphiteOneInc.com
On X @GraphiteOne
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, including those related to the Fast 41 listing and the anticipated impact of
the FAST-41 status, any statements related to the planned production of any mineral reserves and resources, the construction of the
Warren, Ohio
facility, and events or developments that the Company intends, expects, plans, or proposes are forward-looking statements. Generally,
forward
looking information can be identified by the use of forward
looking terminology such as "proposes", "expects", "is expected", "scheduled",
"estimates", "projects", "plans", "is planning", "intends", "assumes", "believes", "indicates", "to be" or variations of such words and phrases that
state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". The Company cautions that
there is no certainty that the Fast 41 listing will impact the Company as set forth in this press release, that the Graphite Creek Project produces the
minerals set out in the FS or that the facility will be built in
Warren, Ohio
. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such
forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or
developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continuity of mineralization, uncertainties
related to the ability to obtain necessary permits, licenses and title and delays due to third party opposition, changes in government policies
regarding mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic,
market or business conditions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is given as of the date
it is expressed in this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information,
except as required by applicable securities laws. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company's continuous
disclosure filings that are available at
www.sedarplus.ca
.
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SOURCE
Graphite One Inc.
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%SEDAR: 00025247E
For further information:
Anthony Huston, CEO, President & Director, Tel: (604) 889-4251, Email: [email protected]; Investor
Relations Contact, Tel: (604) 684-6730, [email protected]
CO: Graphite One Inc.
CNW 07:00e 03-JUN-25