Perpetua Resources Partners with the Idaho National Laboratory to Advance Critical Mineral Pilot Plant
405 S 8th Street #201, Boise, ID 83702
NEWS RELEASE
December 9, 2025
Perpetua Resources Partners with the Idaho National Laboratory to Advance Critical
Mineral Pilot Plant
BOISE, ID – Perpetua Resources Corp. (Nasdaq: PPTA / TSX: PPTA) (“Perpetua Resources” or “Perpetua”
or the “Company”) today announced that it has entered an agreement with the Idaho National
Laboratory (“INL”) via Battelle Energy Alliance LLC (“Battelle”) for the INL to host, commission, and
operate a flexible, modular pilot processing plant expected to be capable of recovering various critical
and defense-related minerals, including antimony from the Company’s ores. This initiative is intended to
demonstrate the feasibility of producing high- quality, military specification antimony trisulfide using
material from Perpetua’s Stibnite Gold Project (“Project”). In addition, it will provide opportunities to
advance domestic defense mineral processing capabilities and strengthen workforce training in Idaho.
“We are proud to collaborate with Idaho National Laboratory to further strengthen America’s defense
capabilities and help secure a domestic source of antimony trisulfide,” said Jon Cherry, President and
CEO of Perpetua Resources. “This partnership highligh ts Idaho’s role in national security and
demonstrates our ongoing commitment to responsible resource development, job creation, and
workforce training in Idaho. The successful demonstration of this plant will contribute to sustained
growth in American mineral independence and resilience.”
Locating the pilot plant at INL leverages the lab’s critical and strategic materials and defense programs.
Trained operators and specialized staff members will commission and operate the plant, which will
consist of several modular containers with the necessary equipment to conduct pilot-scale testing. Once
installed, the pilot plant will receive samples of material from the Stibnite Gold Project and operators will
conduct pilot -scale testing to produce antimony trisulfide concentrate needed for munitions and
advanced systems used by U.S. military personnel.
This pilot plant initiative is part of a broader partnership between Perpetua Resources and the U.S. Army
via the Defense Ordnance Technology Consortium (“DOTC”) to secure domestic sources of critical
minerals. In May 2025, Perpetua was awarded up to $6.9 million in additional DOTC funding, bringing
the Company’s total DOTC awards up to $22.4 million. This extended award combines Perpetua’s Idaho-
based antimony resource with INL’s world-class scientific research capabilities to support the U.S. Army’s
objective of establishing a fully domestic “ground-to-round” antimony trisulfide supply chain.
“This partnership brings together Perpetua’s antimony resources with INL’s expertise in materials
processing to address a critical national security need,” said John Wagner, INL Director. “Establishing
domestic production capabilities for antimony trisulfi de essential for munitions and defense systems
strengthens America’s supply chain resilience while advancing Idaho’s leadership in critical minerals and
workforce development.”
Critical materials research at INL concentrates on the components essential for energy and national
security. INL has expansive expertise, including cutting-edge research areas like mineral characterization,
geochemical modeling, and material separation.
Responsible Mining. Critical Resources. Clean Future.
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U.S. House Representative Mike Simpson (R -Idaho) applauded t oday’s announcement, stating, “As a
longtime supporter of the Idaho National Laboratory and Perpetua Resources’ efforts in domestic
antimony production, I am thrilled to see this partnership come together. Idaho has the potential to
provide our country with a domestic source of critical minerals that are essential to our national security
needs. This partnership is a win for Idaho, and I am pleased to see our great state once again play such
a pivotal role on the world stage.”
The Stibnite Gold Project is the only identified reserve of antimony in America. The Company expects to
supply up to 35 percent of U.S. antimony demand during its first six years of operations while meeting
long-term Department of War antimony needs. In addition to providing for American national security,
the Project will create hundreds of family -wage jobs, restore fish access to critical spawning habitat,
address legacy environmental degradation, and improve water quality at an historical abandoned mine
site.
About Perpetua Resources and the Stibnite Gold Project
P e r p e t u a R e s o u r c e s C o r p . , t h r o u g h i t s w h o l l y o w n e d s u b s i d i a r i e s , i s f o c u s e d o n t h e e x p l o r a t i o n , s i t e
restoration and redevelopment of gold -antimony-silver deposits in the Stibnite -Yellow Pine district of
central Idaho that are encompassed by the Stibnite Gold Project. The Stibnite Gold Project is one of the
highest-grade, open pit gold deposits in the United States and is designed to apply a modern,
responsible mining approach to restore an abandoned mine site and produce both gold and the only
identified reserve of antimony in the United States. Antimony trisulfide from Stibnite is the only known
domestic reserve of antimony that can meet U.S. defense needs for many small arms, munitions, and
missile types.
About Idaho National Laboratory
INL is the nation's center for nuclear energy research and development, also focusing on strategic
national security technologies, critical minerals, energy, and workforce development to sustain American
competitiveness and security. Perpetua's agreement with INL is through Battelle Energy Alliance, which
manages INL for the Department of Energy.
About the Department of Defense Ordnance Technology Consortium
The DOTC serves as the focal point for armaments system technology research and development. The
industrial and academic component of DOTC is the National Armaments Consortium (“NAC”), which
consists of over 1,000 companies.
D O T C ’ s m i s s i o n , i n p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h N A C , i s t o e n h a n c e o u r w a r fi g h t e r s ’ l e t h a l i t y , s u r v i v a b i l i t y a n d
combat effectiveness by facilitating the industrial and academic research, development and technology
demonstrations needed to advance and expand our milit ary technological superiority. DOTC is
sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and is utilized by all Services and Defense Agencies
to design, develop and demonstrate prototypes for armaments. NAC is the largest collaborative
organization worki ng with the DoD to develop armament technologies in support of our nation’s
security.
The NAC is comprised of our nation’s leading technologists, engineers, designers, scientists,
manufacturers, and program managers across industry, academia and our nation’s laboratories, all with
the mission to develop armaments that give the U.S. a techno logical edge over our enemies. Together,
DOTC offers government customers a better way of doing business through streamlined acquisition and
collaboration across a broad spectrum of industrial and academic partners.
For more information, visit www.perpetuaresources.com.
Responsible Mining. Critical Resources. Clean Future.
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Contacts:
Joe Fazzini
Vice President, Investor Relations
Chris Fogg
Investor Relations Manager
Mckinsey Lyon
Vice President External Affairs
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward -
looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities
legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward- Looking Information includes,
but is not limited to, the anticipated benefits from the partnership with INL; the timing and results of future material
sampling conducted by the Compan y and adjustments to the modular pilot plant design and construction; expected
commercial demand for antimony and the Company’s ability to supply it; our ability to successfully implement and fund
the Project; and the occurrence of the expected benefits from the Project, including creation of jobs, environmental benefits
and providing a domestic source of antimony and national defense benefits. In certain cases, Forward-Looking Information
can be identified by the use of words and phrases or variations of such words and phrases or statements such as
"anticipate", "expect", "plan", "likely", "believe", "intend", "forecast", "project", "estimate", "potential", "could", "may", "will",
"would" or "should". In preparing the Forward-Looking Information in this new s release, Perpetua Resources has applied
several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, that the current financing, exploration, development,
environmental and other objectives concerning the Project can be achieved and that its other corpor ate activities will
proceed as expected; and that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner
and that construction and operations costs will not materially increase. Forward- Looking Information involve known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of
Perpetua Resources to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied
by the Forward-Looking Information. Such risks and other factors include, among other things, risks related to unforeseen
delays in the review and permitting process, including as a result of legal challenges to the ROD or other permits; risks
related to opposition to the Project; risks related to increased or unexpected costs in operations or the permitting process;
risks that necessary financing will be unavailable when needed on acceptable terms, or at all, as well as those factors
discussed in Perpetua Resources' public fil ings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and its
Canadian disclosure record. Although Perpetua Resources has attempted to identify important factors that could affect
Perpetua Resources and may cause actual actions, events or resul ts to differ materially from those described in Forward-
Looking Information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or
intended. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking Information will p rove to be accurate, as actual results and
future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place
undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. For further information on these and other risk s and uncertainties that
may affect the Company's business, see the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations" sections of the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
(the "SEC"), which are available at www.sec.gov and with the Canadian securities regulators, which are available at
www.sedarplus.ca. Except as required by law, Perpetua Resources does not assume any obligation to release publicly any
revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date
hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.