TUCSON, AZ, Jan. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Liberty Star Minerals | Liberty Star Uranium & Minerals Corp. (OTCQB: LBSR) a U.S. exploration company focused on strategic and commercially important critical minerals based in southeast Arizona, today published a chairman’s letter highlighting 2025 achievements and ongoing expectations. Dear Shareholders, As we close the books on 2025, I am proud to reflect on a year of significant progress and strategic advancement at Liberty Star Minerals. This has been a tr ...

Core Viewpoint - The ambition for mineral independence in the Western world is undermined when materials reach refineries, highlighting a significant gap between aspirations and reality [1] Industry Insights - The discussion around mineral independence is prevalent in the Western world, yet it often fails to materialize effectively at the refining stage [1]

Core Viewpoint - CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp. has acquired a significant package of mineral rights in Illinois, nearly doubling its holdings in the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District, which is crucial for the U.S. economy's mineral independence [2][3][4]. Group 1: Acquisition Details - The company acquired 37 mineral rights parcels totaling 1,605 acres for a purchase price of US$68,700 [2][3]. - This acquisition increases CleanTech's total mineral rights holdings in Illinois to 2,846 acres, contributing to a total of over 17,550 acres across the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District [3][4]. Group 2: Strategic Importance - The Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District has a rich history of fluorspar production, accounting for approximately 90% of U.S. fluorspar production from 1914 to 1995, with around 9 million tons produced [4]. - Fluorspar is identified as a critical mineral essential for nuclear enrichment, lithium batteries, and semiconductor manufacturing, highlighting the strategic importance of CleanTech's projects for U.S. mineral independence [6]. Group 3: Exploration Potential - The proximity of the acquired properties to the Hicks Dome deposit raises the potential for discovering rare earth elements and other trace elements, which are vital for various applications, including military [7]. - The acquisition also extends the historic Barnett mine area, known for its productive operations, enhancing CleanTech's exploration opportunities [8].

Core Insights - Liberty Star Minerals announced a strategic realignment of its mining claims and mineral assets to enhance operational clarity, differentiate high-value assets, and expand partnership opportunities [1] Group 1: Structural Changes - All mineral holdings will be consolidated under Liberty Star Hay Mountain Holdings LLC, strengthening organizational clarity and long-term strategic focus [2] - The multi-mineral claims known as Hay Mountain Target 1 & 2 will be structured within Earp Ridge Mines, LLC, focusing on the development of the region's diverse mineral potential [2] - A new subsidiary, Red Rock Mines, LLC, will house the company's gold target to advance and highlight the exceptional gold resource opportunity [3] Group 2: Strategic Goals - The company aims to clearly define and elevate the unique strengths of its mineral properties through the establishment of self-contained business units, improving operational efficiency and collaboration with partners [4] - Liberty Star is focused on strategic and commercially important critical minerals, with projects located in a significant porphyry copper-gold-molybdenum system in southeast Arizona [4]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a net loss of $74.3 million or $0.20 per share for Q2 2025, compared to a net loss of $20.2 million or $0.06 per share for the same period in 2024 [32] - Free cash flow for Q2 2025 was negative $10.7 million, an improvement from negative $12.2 million in Q2 2024 [33] - The cash balance increased significantly to approximately $120 million by July 4, 2025, following various capital raises [30][34] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) indicated a combined project net present value (NPV) of over $23 billion, with a clear capital-efficient path to first production [9][28] - The estimated recoverable nodules for the PFS is 164 million wet tons, with an assumed production start date in Q4 2027 and a life of mine of just over 18 years [21][22] - The revenue mix is expected to be 45% from nickel products, 28% from manganese, 17% from copper, and 9% from cobalt [24] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company has renewed and strengthened agreements with the Republic of Nauru and the Kingdom of Tonga, emphasizing a science-based approach to developing the seabed mining industry [12] - The strategic investment of $85 million from Korea Zinc positions the company to supply refined metals in South Korea and potentially build new facilities in the USA [13] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to adapt to a capital-light approach while advancing its projects, maintaining a competitive edge in the seabed mining industry [8] - The focus is on achieving regulatory certainty and moving towards first production, with a target date set for Q4 2027 [10][11] - The company plans to build refining capacity in the USA to support its production and contribute to US mineral independence [25][70] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about the regulatory environment, noting daily communication with NOAA and a supportive administration [42][43] - The company anticipates good news from regulators and expects to maintain a regular cadence of updates as it progresses through the permitting process [41][44] - There is confidence in the ability to manage normal business risks and supply chain issues, with a strong board and partnerships in place [52] Other Important Information - The company is pursuing funding opportunities from various US government departments for both offshore and onshore components of its operations [66][68] - The anticipated ramp-up in profitability is expected to support significant capital expenditures for onshore refining capacity after production begins [25][27] Q&A Session Summary Question: What work needs to be done to get through the feasibility level and the timeline? - The focus will be on finalizing agreements with Allsys and preparing for the investment decision to order long lead items for production [39] Question: What are the next major steps or milestones regarding permitting under NOAA? - The company expects good news from NOAA and is in daily contact with regulators, anticipating changes to fast-track permitting [41][42] Question: What factors could accelerate or slow down progress towards production? - Management believes there are no significant regulatory hurdles, and the focus will be on managing supply chain issues [52] Question: How will the capital expenditures be split among partners? - The breakdown of capital expenditures is still being finalized, but there is a long-standing assumption of splitting pre-production costs with Allsys [63] Question: Are there funding opportunities available for the offshore side? - The company is actively pursuing funding from various US government programs for both offshore and onshore components [66][68] Question: Could the processing plant development be expedited? - The company could accelerate the development of processing facilities if favorable terms are available from funding agencies [70]

what's up everybody dave Bartziaak here and I've got another chart of the day for you now I'm back from vacay ready to rock this one is the metals company ticker TMC now there's been a lot of talk about US I'm sure you heard about our energy independence right but now there's a lot of talk about mineral independence so what does this company do deep water mineral mining oh so no wonder this thing has gone virtually parabolic uh since some Trump executive order back in April aiming to make sure that the US i ...