EMP Metals Corp. reported significant advancements and milestones of its lithium project: (i) successful results from a direct lithium extraction ("DLE") pilot project, (ii) successful production of pure battery grade lithium carbonate, (iii) expected timing of direct lithium extraction field pilot, (iv) increased acreage in core operating area, and (v) update on the delivery of the Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA"). Hub City Lithium Corp.

("HCL"), a subsidiary company to EMP, has successfully completed a large-scale pilot using the ILiAD DLE Platform developed by Energy Source Minerals ("ESM"), a privately held process technology company focusing on Direct Lithium Extraction in North America. The pilot, which processed 87,000 litres of concentrated eluent with an average lithium concentration of 1,430 mg/L (representing a 7.5x concentration from the feed brine provided). An average lithium recovery of >90% and an impurity rejection rate of 99.62% were also verified by ESM.

HCL plans to ship the highly concentrated eluent to a 3rd party for refinement into battery grade Lithium Carbonate. HCL has confirmed successful production of 99.95% pure battery grade lithium carbonate (Li2CO3), the Company's first brine-to-battery-grade lithium carbonate production. Saltworks Technologies Inc. ("Saltworks"), saw brine sourced from wells in HCL's Viewfield project area refined into battery grade lithium carbonate.

The Viewfield lithium-containing brine represents the highest concentrations of lithium discovered in Canada to date with minimal pretreatment requirements. After DLE, the eluent was refined into battery-grade chemicals at Saltworks' headquarters in British Columbia. This work was executed with Saltworks' proprietary concentrating, refining, and converting technology and expert technical team, employing novel technology that lowers the cost and greenhouse gas impact of lithium chemical production.

This project tested and de-risked the end-to-end flow sheet, resulting in multiple samples of battery-grade lithium carbonate, which have been analyzed and validated by an independent 3rd party laboratory. Al, Aluminum; Cu, Copper; Ni, Nickel; Wt%, Weight Percentage; Wppm, Weight Parts per Million; Mg/l, Milligrams per Litre. HCL is currently undergoing a Treatability Study ("Study") with Koch Technology Solutions ("KTS") to test 1,000 litres of feed brine from the Viewfield project area.

The Study is in preparation for a DLE field pilot (one of the first in Saskatchewan) on the HCL well that previously tested 258 mg/L of lithium. The pilot, scheduled to begin in First Quarter 2024, will treat Viewfield brine and convert it into a highly concentrated lithium chloride eluent. It is expected to run for 3 to 4 months and will operate 24/7, processing approximately 6,500 - 9,000 litres of feed brines per day.