Lithium Ionic: 2025 Year in Review – Advancing Toward Construction in Brazil's Lithium Valley

Core Insights - Lithium Ionic Corp. has made significant progress in 2025, focusing on advancing its flagship Bandeira Lithium Project towards construction in 2026 [2][3][20] Group 1: 2025 Highlights - The company achieved meaningful mineral resource growth, establishing itself as one of the largest hard-rock lithium developers in Brazil's Lithium Valley [4] - Consolidated global mineral resources now total 36.76 million tonnes grading 1.31% Li₂O in the Measured & Indicated category, and an additional 31.87 million tonnes grading 1.19% Li₂O in the Inferred category [5] - The Bandeira Project's updated mineral resource estimate includes 27.27 million tonnes Measured & Indicated at 1.34% Li₂O and 18.55 million tonnes Inferred at 1.34% Li₂O, representing a 30% increase in Measured & Indicated tonnage compared to the previous feasibility study [6][7] Group 2: Technical Advancements - The optimized feasibility study delivered in September 2025 extended the mine life to 18.5 years and improved project economics, with a post-tax NPV(8%) of US$1.45 billion and a post-tax IRR of 61% [18] - The company engaged RTEK International DMCC as a strategic advisor to enhance construction readiness and operational execution at the Bandeira Project [11] - By year-end 2025, approximately 38% of all engineering activities were completed, further strengthening execution readiness [12] Group 3: ESG and Permitting - The appointment of Flávia Veronese as Director of ESG aims to strengthen the company's environmental, social, and governance initiatives, particularly in the permitting process for the Bandeira Project [14] - The company views recent environmental permitting discussions as constructive, enhancing clarity and confidence in the permitting framework [15] Group 4: Financial Position - In late 2025, Lithium Ionic closed an oversubscribed private placement totaling $18.3 million, significantly strengthening its balance sheet for advancing key pre-development activities [16] - The company is focused on finalizing project financing and advancing permitting processes as it prepares for construction readiness [19] Group 5: Strategic Decisions - The company terminated the K2 Option Agreement to prioritize its most advanced and value-accretive assets, including the Bandeira Project [21][23] - A total of 9,800,000 restricted share units were issued to certain directors and officers, subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval [24]