$200 Million Strategic Equity Facility Accelerates U.S. and Allied Critical Mineral Refining Capacity

Marion, Indiana Facility Anchors Scalable Platform for Heavy Rare Earths, Defense Minerals, and Magnet Supply Chains

FISHERS, IN / ACCESS Newswire / January 5, 2026 / American Resources Corporation (NASDAQ:AREC) ("American Resources") through its minority holding in ReElement Technologies Corporation ("ReElement" or the "Company"), a leading U.S. innovator in rare earth element (REE) and critical mineral refining for the commercial and defense industries, today announced the closing of a $200 million strategic equity facility from Transition Equity Partners, LLC (TEP).

This investment will accelerate the commercial deployment of ReElement's proprietary, multi-mineral refining platform, with an initial focus on the buildout of the Company's Marion, Indiana facility to meet near-term domestic demand. From this foundation, ReElement and TEP plan to strategically develop additional facilities across the United States and select international markets. Leveraging its versatile and modularly scalable refining architecture and proprietary chromatographic separation processes, the Marion site will focus on processing light rare earths, heavy rare earths and other critical defense elements. With TEP's support, the Marion facility will scale to an initial capacity greater than 10,000 metric tons per annum (MTPA) of refined critical minerals production sourced from recycled feedstocks, and mined mixed rare earth concentrates, with an ability to further scale in Marion and several other strategic locations.

ReElement is developing large-scale critical mineral processing and refining capacity to strengthen strategic United States supply chains. This includes the Company's recently announced partnership with the U.S. Department of War and Vulcan Elements to support a fully vertically integrated, domestic rare earth magnet supply chain. ReElement is also partnering with POSCO International Corporation, a global leader in steel, magnetic materials, and advanced industrial solutions, to further reinforce U.S.-based critical minerals and magnet production capabilities.

Beyond magnet supply chains, ReElement's proprietary chromatographic refining platform is uniquely capable of meeting demand for heavy rare earth elements and other critical defense materials that are not currently produced at scale in the United States. These include yttrium, gadolinium, germanium, antimony, terbium, dysprosium, and other essential minerals that underpin U.S. energy, advanced technology, and defense applications - and that remain subject to severe supply constraints and export controls from China.

Mark Jensen, CEO of ReElement Technologies stated, "We are excited to partner with Transition Equity Partners. Throughout this process, it became clear that we are closely aligned culturally and mission-wise - an alignment we believe is essential to addressing supply-chain challenges quickly while building long-term shareholder value. The $200 million commitment will enable ReElement to expand its manufacturing base initially in the United States and, over time, globally, to process and refine critical minerals and rare earth elements through a cost-competitive, modular, and scalable platform. TEP's global reach and experienced advisory network are also supporting ReElement's international expansion across Africa, the Middle East, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). TEP is more than an equity sponsor; they are a strategic partner actively supporting ReElement's global growth."

"TEP is committed and equally excited to partner with ReElement, Mark Jensen and his leading management team to help fortify the U.S. supply chain for critical energy and strategic infrastructure" said Pat Eilers, Managing Partner and Founder of TEP, "ReElement's uniquely superior processing platform enables the U.S. to leverage numerous domestic and ally feedstocks to bolster a diverse set of critical mineral supply chains that are essential for a strong U.S. economy. This capability is further supported by ReElement's collaboration with the U.S. government, and ability to ensure access to critical minerals necessary for energy dominance, AI leadership, strategic defense industries, among numerous other U.S. priorities. We believe ReElement is revolutionizing U.S. critical mineral supply chains by providing reliable, low-cost and environmentally superior processing capacity in the U.S."

Leveraging this strategic commitment, ReElement is positioned to play a critical role in securing U.S. and allied supply chains by delivering high-purity critical minerals at costs competitive with global markets. The Company's refining platform represents a new model for domestic and allied-nation processing - one that can be deployed rapidly, occupies a fraction of the footprint of traditional refineries, and produces ultra-high-purity outputs with significantly reduced environmental impact.

ReElement's modular approach enables rapid deployment across the United States and allied jurisdictions, co-location with mining or concentration assets, lower capital and operating costs, and cleaner, solvent-free processing compatible with U.S. environmental standards. Together, these advantages position ReElement to accelerate supply-chain resilience while supporting long-term industrial competitiveness, national security, and sustainable growth.

About ReElement Technologies Corporation

ReElement Technologies Corporation, a portfolio company of American Resources Corporation (NASDAQ:AREC), is a leading provider of high-performance refining capacity for rare earth and critical battery elements. Its multi-mineral, multi-feedstock platform technology focuses on the refining of recycled material from rare earth permanent magnets and lithium-ion batteries, concentrated ores and brines, as well as coal-based waste streams and byproducts to create a cost effective and environmentally-safe, circular supply chain. ReElement has developed its innovative and scalable "Powered by ReElement" process which collaboratively utilizes its exclusively licensed intellectual property within its partners' material processing flow sheets to more efficiently support the global supply chain's growing demand for magnet and battery-grade products. For more information visit reelementtech.com or connect with the Company on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

About Transition Equity Partners

Founded in 2020, Transition Equity Partners (TEP) is a North American mid-market private equity firm specializing in power generation, energy infrastructure and clean energy supply chains and services. With offices in Chicago, New York and Abu Dhabi, TEP combines deep sector expertise with a disciplined, thematic investment strategy, partnering closely with management teams and their differentiated projects to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns and sustainable outcomes.

For more information, please visit: www.transitionequity.com

About American Resources Corporation (NASDAQ: AREC)

American Resources Corporation is a leader in the critical mineral supply chain, developing innovative solutions both upstream and downstream of the refining process. The company and its affiliates focus on the extraction and processing of metallurgical carbon and iron ore, essential ingredients in steelmaking, as well as critical and rare earth minerals for the electrification market and recycled metals.

Leveraging its affiliation and former parent status of ReElement Technologies Corporation, a leading provider of high-performance refining capacity for rare earth and critical battery elements, American Resources is investing in and developing efficient upstream and downstream critical mineral operations. These operations include mining interests in conventional and unconventional sources, recycling, and manufacturing.

American Resources has established a nimble, low-cost business model centered on growth, which provides a significant opportunity to scale its portfolio of assets to meet the growing global infrastructure and electrification markets while also continuing to acquire operations and significantly reduce their legacy industry risks. Its streamlined and efficient operations are able to maximize margins while reducing costs. For more information visit americanresourcescorp.com or connect with the Company on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Investor Contact:
JTC Team, LLC
Jenene Thomas
(908) 824 - 0775
arec@jtcir.com

Media Inquiries:
Marjorie Weisskohl
703-587-1532
mweisskohl@allseasonspr.com

Company Contact:
Mark LaVerghetta
317-855-9926 ext. 0
investor@americanresourcescorp.com

SOURCE: American Resources Corporation