Apex Critical selects Boart as Rift drill contractor

Executive Summary

• Apex Critical Metals has secured Boart Longyear as the drilling contractor for its flagship Rift rare earth project in Nebraska, with mobilization and drilling expected to commence before the end of the month.
• The contracted program targets approximately 8,000 metres across 10 to 15 drill holes, following the finalization of permitting.
• The release provides historical high-grade rare earth oxide (REO) intercepts from previous operators to contextualize the upcoming exploration and verification program.

Key Details

• Drilling Contractor: Boart Longyear, selected for its extensive local knowledge and recent experience drilling at the adjacent NioCorp Elk Creek project using LF160 diamond drill rigs.
• Contract Scope & Schedule: Approximately 8,000 metres across 10 to 15 drill holes; mobilization and drilling expected to commence before the end of the month.
• Project Location & Size: Rift project, Elk Creek carbonatite complex, southeastern Nebraska, covering approximately 3,500 acres.
• Historical Drilling Intercepts (Context):
• 155.5 metres of 2.70% REO, including 54.9 metres at 3.30% REO (EC-93).
• 236.2 metres of 2.10% REO, including 68.2 metres at 3.32% REO (NEC11-004).
• Technical Oversight: Nathan Schmidt, PGeo, of Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., serves as the Qualified Person under NI 43-101.
• Additional Portfolio Update: The company's 100%-owned Cap project in BC confirmed a significant niobium discovery in 2025, reporting 0.59% Nb2O5 over 36 metres, including 1.08% Nb2O5 over 10 metres.

Notable Quotes

• Sean Charland, CEO: "We are rapidly advancing towards our first phase of drilling at Rift with the support of Dahrouge Geological Consulting and Boart Longyear, both having extensive local knowledge and experience to ensure this program is executed successfully. We look forward to taking aim at verifying and expanding on the significant rare earth mineralization previously defined and will provide more updates as mobilization and drilling commences."