Apex Critical Metals receives Rift exploration permit

Executive Summary

• Apex Critical Metals Corp. has received regulatory approval for a mineral exploration (drill) permit at its flagship Rift rare earth project in southeastern Nebraska.
• The company is actively advancing predrilling logistics and contractor arrangements, with the inaugural drill program scheduled to commence in the first half of Q1 2026.
• Historical drilling at the Elk Creek carbonatite complex reported broad, high-grade REE intervals, which management aims to verify and expand upon to position the project as a premier North American rare earth asset.

Key Details

• Permit approval received from the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment (NDEE) for the Rift REE project.
• Project covers approximately 3,500 acres within the Elk Creek carbonatite complex.
• Historical drilling intercepts include: 155.5 m at 2.70% REO (including 54.9 m at 3.30% REO) from hole EC-93; and 236.2 m at 2.10% REO (including 68.2 m at 3.32% REO) from hole NEC11-004.
• Pre-drilling activities underway: finalizing contractor discussions, securing mobilization schedules, establishing access routes and drill pad locations, completing logistical planning for core handling/sampling, and refining targets based on historical data.
• Drilling expected to commence in the first half of Q1 2026.
• A detailed summary of drill hole locations and planned metreage will be released as the program commences.
• Technical content reviewed and approved by Nathan Schmidt, PGeo, Qualified Person under NI 43-101.
• Company also advancing its 100%-owned Cap project in BC, which confirmed a significant niobium discovery in 2025 (0.59% Nb2O5 over 36 m, including 1.08% Nb2O5 over 10 m within a 1.8 km trend).

Notable Quotes

• "We have been very active expanding and consolidating our property position and completing historical relogging, reassaying and 3-D modelling work in preparation for our inaugural drill campaign at the Rift rare earth project. We are very pleased to receive our drill permit, which marks a significant step forward as we transition from planning and preparation to drill program execution. We are eager to begin verifying and expanding upon the excellent historical results, which we believe can rapidly position the Rift project as one of the premier rare earth projects in North America." – Sean Charland, CEO