Mr. Hugues Jacquemin reports

NORTHERN GRAPHITE SELECTED TO REPRESENT CANADA IN BATTERY MATERIALS EVALUATION PROGRAM WITH JAPAN'S LIBTEC

Northern Graphite Corp. has been selected by Natural Resources Canada to participate in a strategic Canada-Japan battery material evaluation program through the Lithium-ion Battery Technology and Evaluation Center, an independent, internationally recognized, third party battery evaluation organization.

The initiative, which includes funding support of $155,800, will enable Northern to advance the evaluation and customer qualification of its battery anode materials under LIBTEC's standardized, customer-relevant testing protocols, and forms part of the broader co-operation between Canada and Japan to strengthen secure, resilient and sustainable critical mineral and battery supply chains outside of China.

Northern is the only battery anode material developer participating in the initiative, complementing participating Canadian cathode material developers and highlighting Canada's growing capabilities across the battery material value chain. The program provides an opportunity to showcase Canadian innovation to one of the world's most advanced battery ecosystems while strengthening technical collaboration between Canada and Japan.

"Japan is home to some of the world's most advanced battery and automotive companies, and participation in the LIBTEC program provides an important opportunity to test our materials under rigorous conditions while supporting broader Canada-Japan co-operation in critical minerals and battery supply chains," said Northern chief executive officer Hugues Jacquemin. "Being selected for this initiative is an important endorsement of Northern's strategy to become a supplier of battery anode material to global markets seeking diversified supply chains."

Through the program, Northern will provide BAM samples produced using graphite from its Lac des Iles mine in Quebec and processed through the company's battery material technology platform for independent third party evaluation and benchmarking against established industry reference materials under standardized, original-equipment-manufacturer-relevant conditions at LIBTEC's facilities in Japan.

The evaluation program is expected to generate valuable third party performance data across key battery metrics, including capacity, fast charging, cycle life and material consistency. Northern expects the resulting data to support continuing product optimization, customer qualification efforts and commercial discussions with battery manufacturers seeking secure and scalable sources of battery materials outside of China. Participation in the program is also expected to strengthen Northern's visibility within Japan's battery ecosystem, including leading battery manufacturers and automotive OEMs, supporting future commercial engagement opportunities.

"Canada is building resilient critical mineral and battery supply chains that will power our economy for decades to come," said Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. "By investing in innovative Canadian companies like Northern Graphite and strengthening partnerships with trusted allies such as Japan, we are creating new opportunities for Canadian workers, catalyzing investment and reinforcing Canada's position as an energy superpower."

As global demand for lithium-ion batteries continues to accelerate, governments and industry are working to diversify supply chains and reduce dependence on concentrated sources of battery materials and processing capacity. By supporting the evaluation of Canadian-developed battery materials using Japan's advanced qualification infrastructure, the program connects Canadian innovation with one of the world's most sophisticated battery manufacturing ecosystems while advancing the shared objective of diversifying global sources of critical minerals and battery materials processing.

"This initiative is a key step in demonstrating the commercial readiness of our BAM portfolio," said Northern chief product officer Dr. Moritz Hantel. "Working together with LIBTEC allows Northern to independently demonstrate the capability of our BAM and helps to facilitate the ongoing discussion with the Japanese battery ecosystem."

The program represents an important milestone in Northern's downstream battery material strategy and further strengthens the company's role in developing an integrated mine-to-battery supply chain spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

About Northern Graphite Corp.

Northern is a Canadian, TSX Venture Exchange-listed company that owns the only flake graphite mine 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 and is focused on advancing plans for developing battery anode material plants in Saudi Arabia, Quebec and France.

Northern's graphite assets include the Lac des Iles mine in Quebec, where the company intends to boost 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.

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