Mr. Nicolas Tremblay reports

UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA AND NI-CO ENERGY BEGIN KREMER RESEARCH PROGRAM TO REFINE CRITICAL MINERALS EXPLORATION TARGETING

The collaboration between Ni-Co Energy Inc. and the University of Ottawa, previously disclosed by Ni-Co Energy, is now under way. The research program aims to strengthen mineral exploration at Ni-Co Energy's 100-per-cent-owned Kremer project by uncovering how its nickel, copper and cobalt mineralization formed, and where similar mineralization may be found elsewhere on the property.

The two-year program is supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) alliance grant and combines industry exploration with university research to tackle a long-standing geological mystery.

Located in the Lanaudiere region of Quebec, about 90 kilometres north of Montreal, the Kremer project hosts nickel- copper- and cobalt-bearing sulphide minerals within ancient rocks that have undergone intense metamorphism and deformation. Researchers are still trying to determine whether the mineralization originally formed from magma deep underground and was later moved by geological forces, or whether it formed through a different process altogether. A better understanding of the mineralization's origins could help geologists identify the most promising targets for exploration.

The project is led by Prof. Brian O'Driscoll, Newmont chair in economic geology in the University of Ottawa's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Mr. O'Driscoll has approximately 20 years of experience researching ore deposits and sulfide mineralization and has led numerous industry-partnered research projects.

"The Kremer mineralization has all the ingredients of a compelling scientific mystery. High-grade metamorphic terranes have historically received less attention in nickel-copper exploration, yet discoveries such as Nova-Bollinger in Australia's Fraser Range demonstrate that significant nickel-copper sulphide mineralization can be preserved in rocks that have undergone intense metamorphism and deformation," says Mr. O'Driscoll. "We're bringing a suite of modern geological tools to the project to better understand how the mineralization formed and what that could tell us about where to explore next."

The research program will be carried out primarily by post-doctoral researcher Dr. Fiona D'Arcy, whose academic background spans a decade of research in geology and geochemistry, including expertise in sulphur isotopes. Using advanced laboratory and field techniques, the team will investigate the source of sulphur in the mineralization, examine how the sulphide minerals crystallized and assess how heat, pressure and deformation may have influenced their current distribution.

"My background is in magmatic systems, so getting to apply geochemistry and isotopes to help constrain the geological model at Kremer is a great fit, and honestly, it's a fascinating problem," says Dr. D'Arcy. "The field observations and samples give us a strong starting point for testing the different hypotheses for how the mineralization formed."

The findings will be used to develop a more complete geological model of the Kremer mineralization and support continuing exploration work by Ni-Co Energy, a junior exploration company focused on identifying and developing mineral properties in Quebec.

"Understanding why Kremer's sulphides are where they are, and how they formed, gives us a sharper, more cost-effective tool for guiding our drill targeting, including at Kremer-2," said Alain Tremblay, president and chief executive officer of Ni-Co Energy. "This program runs alongside our exploration work, not instead of it, and every insight the uOttawa team develops feeds directly back into how we plan our next holes."

Work will take place primarily at uOttawa's newly established ore deposit petrology laboratory, the Jan Veizer Stable Isotope Laboratory and the Geological Survey of Canada's electron backscatter diffraction facility in Ottawa.

Qualified person

The scientific and technical information relating to the Kremer project contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Marc Boivin, PGeo, vice-president, exploration, of Ni-Co Energy and a qualified person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 -- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Boivin is not independent of the company.

About Ni-Co Energy Inc.

Ni-Co Energy is a Quebec-focused mineral exploration company advancing the 100-per-cent-owned Kremer nickel-copper-cobalt project, located in the ZEC Lavigne, approximately 90 kilometres north of downtown Montreal, Que. The company's objective is to explore for nickel, copper and cobalt mineralization in Quebec, with a focus on critical minerals required for electrification, energy transition technologies and industrial supply chains.

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