CleanTech Through Acquisition Doubles Its Illinois Mineral Rights Holdings, Surrounding Hicks Dome Rare-Earth Deposit Within Prominent Fluorspar District

On November 18, 2025, CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp. ("CleanTech" or "the Company") announced the acquisition of 37 mineral rights parcels, totaling 1,605 acres, in Illinois' Pope and Hardin Counties for US$68,700 from an arm's-length vendor. This acquisition nearly doubles the company's mineral rights holdings in Illinois to 2,846 acres and increases its total land package in the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District (IKFD) to over 17,550 acres. The newly acquired properties are strategically located, surrounding the Hicks Dome rare-earth element (REE) deposit. The CEO emphasized fluorspar's critical role in the U.S. economy and the project's importance for American mineral independence.

This acquisition is a continuation of the company's aggressive land consolidation strategy in the IKFD initiated in mid-2025. While strategically sound in expanding their footprint around the prospective Hicks Dome, the news is routine and its direct material impact is low.

• Financial Impact: The purchase price of US$68,700 is negligible against the company's last reported cash position of CAD$3.66 million (as of March 31, 2025). Furthermore, the preceding day's news (November 17, 2025) revealed that related-party Oracle Commodity Holding Corp. ("Oracle") will pay CleanTech US$13,740 (20% of the purchase price) in exchange for a 2% net smelter return (NSR) royalty on these new properties. This reduces CleanTech's net cash outlay to just US$54,960, but encumbers yet another asset with a royalty payable to a control person.

• Strategic Execution: The news is positive in that it demonstrates management's continued execution on its stated plan to build a dominant land position in a historically significant US critical minerals district. The stock's significant appreciation from $0.06 in early September to a high of $0.50 in October reflects that this strategy has already been embraced by the market. This small, bolt-on acquisition serves to reinforce the existing narrative rather than create a new one.

• Context and Expectations: This announcement is entirely in line with expectations set by a flurry of similar acquisition releases since July 2025. It does not represent a surprise or a significant deviation from the established plan. Therefore, its ability to materially move the stock price is limited, as the market is already pricing in the company's role as a fluorspar land aggregator. The slight positive is the increased exposure to potential REE mineralization near Hicks Dome.

Overall, the acquisition is a minor, incremental step forward. The more significant takeaway for an analyst is the recurring pattern of granting a 2% NSR to a control person (Oracle) on all newly acquired lands, a structure that systematically transfers future value away from CleanTech shareholders.

CleanTech Vanadium Mining Corp. is a junior mining company focused on critical minerals in the United States. Formerly focused solely on vanadium, the company executed a major strategic pivot in mid-2025.

• Flagship Project (Current Focus): The Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District (IKFD) project. Since July 2025, the company has been aggressively acquiring options on historical fluorspar mines and prospective land, accumulating a land package of over 17,550 acres. The strategy is to consolidate this historically productive district, which was a major source of U.S. fluorspar until the 1990s. The entire thesis is based on historical data that is not NI 43-101 compliant and requires modern verification.

• Secondary Project (Former Flagship): The 100%-owned Gibellini Vanadium Mine Project in Nevada. This is an advanced-stage open-pit, heap leach project that received a positive Record of Decision for its Environmental Impact Statement in October 2023, a major de-risking milestone.

• Tertiary Project: An option on the El Triunfo gold-antimony project in Bolivia.