Mr. Hugues Jacquemin reports

NORTHERN GRAPHITE AND RAIN CARBON ANNOUNCE R&D GRANT TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE BATTERY ANODE MATERIALS

The consortium of Northern Graphite Corp. and Rain Carbon Canada Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Rain Carbon Inc., is receiving funding support of up to $860,000 (530,000 euros) under the Canada-Germany Collaborative Industrial Research and Development Program.

The 24-month project will have a total cost of $2.2-million, will focus on transforming low-value natural graphite fine fractions byproduct into high performance, battery-grade anode material, and is jointly supported through advisory services and funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program and Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy through its Central Innovation Program for small- and mid-size companies. Partners under the initiative -- NGC Battery Materials GmbH, Northern's Germany-based battery material unit, and RAINCA -- aim to increase milling and shaping yield by upcycling byproduct fine fractions, reducing waste and minimizing the need for additional mining.

"With a shared goal of building a robust supply chain from mine-to-battery, this collaboration combines the upstream strengths of our mining and graphite processing operations with Rain's unmatched carbon science expertise to deliver advanced solutions for a clean energy future," said Northern chief executive officer Hugues Jacquemin.

The project will leverage the strengths of both partners, with Northern supplying natural graphite feedstock sourced from its operations in Canada and Namibia, and applying advanced sizing, shaping and purification techniques to produce highly uniform, battery-grade feedstock particles. Rain will contribute advanced conversion processes and its proprietary Lioncoat carbon coating technology while leading electrochemical performance testing to ensure the final materials meet the highest global standards. The efforts will be anchored by Rain's Technology Innovation Center for Energy Storage Materials in Hamilton, Ont., which houses a demonstration plant for material conversion and coating at pilot scale, an advanced analytical lab for evaluating the physicochemical properties of powder materials, and an application lab dedicated to battery cell fabrication and performance assessment.

Northern is focused on becoming an integrated, mine-to-battery supplier of battery anode material, the main component in lithium-ion batteries. To that end, in January, 2024, the company formed its battery material group through the acquisition of the assets and research and development team of the battery division of Germany's Heraeus Group, which included a fully operational, state-of-the-art laboratory in Frankfurt. NGCBM is leading the development of a vertically integrated supply chain for natural graphite-based BAMs, leveraging Northern's existing mining operations in Canada and Namibia and downstream partnerships across Europe and North America.

"This project aims to significantly reduce the carbon footprint per kilogram of battery material by introducing processes that result in less waste from the milling cycle and utilize more of the graphite that we mine," said Northern chief product officer Dr. Moritz Hantel. "By improving the conversion rate of flake graphite into battery anode material, we align with the principles of the circular economy, reducing industrial waste and strengthening the consortium's leadership in the innovation of sustainable battery materials."

For Rain, the initiative acts as a strategic catalyst that accelerates product development, shortens time-to-market cycles and enhances the company's technical capabilities while sharpening its competitive advantage in processing battery-grade carbon precursor materials under the Lioncoat brand.

"This partnership not only enhances Rain's capabilities in processing battery-grade carbon precursor materials but also enables NGCBM to expand its value chain beyond raw material extraction and processing, advancing into the production of high-value battery materials," said Rain president Gerard Sweeney. "Together, both organizations are well positioned to meet the stringent quality standards of the highly competitive energy storage market."

"Research and development are at the heart of building resilient and sustainable critical mineral supply chains. Through the G7 critical minerals action plan, we are collaborating with trusted international partners to advance innovative projects -- like the work led by Northern Graphite and Rain Carbon Canada -- that reduce environmental impacts, maximize production, and strengthen Canada and our allies' competitive edge," said Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.

"Research and development are the driving forces behind Canada's leadership in critical minerals. Through strategic collaboration with international partners and innovative companies like Northern Graphite and Rain Carbon Canada, we are accelerating breakthroughs across the supply chain -- from exploration to processing -- ensuring our solutions are sustainable, competitive and globally impactful," added Claude Guay, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.

About Northern Graphite Corp.

Northern is a Canadian, TSX Venture Exchange-listed company that is the only flake graphite producing company in North America. Northern is focused on becoming a world leader in producing natural graphite and upgrading it into high-value products critical to the green economy, including anode material for lithium-ion batteries/electric vehicles, fuel cells and graphene, as well as advanced industrial technologies. The company's mine-to-battery strategy is spearheaded by its battery materials group, which has a fully equipped, state-of-the-art laboratory in Frankfurt.

Northern's graphite assets include the producing Lac des Iles mine in Quebec, where the company is boosting output to meet growing demand from industrial customers and coming demand from North American battery makers. The company also owns the large-scale, advanced-stage Bissett Creek graphite project in Ontario and the fully permitted Okanjande graphite mine in Namibia, which is currently on care and maintenance, and represents an opportunity to substantially increase graphite production at a lower cost and with a shorter time to market than most competing projects. All projects have battery-quality graphite and are located close to infrastructure in politically stable jurisdictions.

About Rain Carbon Canada Inc.

Rain Carbon Canada based in Hamilton, Ont., is upcycling industrial aromatic byproducts from steel manufacturing, oil refining and other industrial processes into high-value carbon products, intermediate chemicals and aromatic oils that are used in the production of aluminum, steel, pavement sealers, fine chemicals, refractories, wood preservation and carbon black in end use applications like automotive, building and construction, chemical, polymers, batteries, and tires. Rain Carbon Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rain Carbon and its ultimate beneficial owner is Rain Industries Ltd., a public company listed at the National Stock Exchange of India. Rain Carbon is a global, vertically integrated supplier of a diversified portfolio of carbon-based and chemical products that are essential raw materials for staples of everyday life.

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