Lion One Metals Limited provided an update on ongoing operations at the company's 100% owned Tuvatu Alkaline Gold Project in Fiji. The Tuvatu project is currently in the pilot plant stage of operations. The focus of mining operations to date has been on the development of underground access.

Open stope mining is starting in March and is set to increase throughout April and May with the introduction of mechanized mining. Mechanized mining at Tuvatu will consist of long hole open stoping. The first long hole drill is in operation on site and is conducting sludge hole drilling to confirm stope boundaries at the URW1 stockwork vein system in advance of blasting and extraction.

The first stopes to be extracted through long hole open stoping will be at the URW1 stockwork vein system in Zone 2. The second long hole drill is undergoing commissioning on site at Tuvatu and will commence sludge hole drilling in the Murau stockwork vein system in Zone 2 once commissioning is complete. Open stope mining in Zone 5 will initially consist of airleg stoping in March before the introduction of limited long hole open stoping in April. Airleg stoping has started in Zone 5 at the UR2 lode system and will be initiated at the URW3 lode system in late March.

Limited long hole open stoping is scheduled to commence in Zone 5 in April before increasing throughout May and June. The continuous gravity concentrator and intensive leach reactor were commissioned at the end of January and are in operation. New blowers have been ordered for the CIL tanks and are anticipated to be installed by mid-April.

Mill throughput of approximately 26,000 tons is anticipated for the three-month period from March to May. Gold production is anticipated to increase during this period as a result of the commencement of open stope mining and full commissioning of the processing plant.