Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 3, 2026) - Spark Energy Minerals Inc. (CSE: SPRK) (OTC Pink: SPARF) (FSE: 8PC) ("Spark" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Marina Fagundes de Freitas to its Board of Directors as a non-executive director, effective September 2, 2026.

Ms. Freitas is a finance executive with more than twenty years in the mining sector in Brazil. She spent fifteen years at Jaguar Mining Inc., where she was latterly Chief Financial Officer and previously Vice President of Finance and Projects, Vice President of Project Development, Administrative Vice President, and Governance, Audit, Risk and Compliance Manager. Most recently she served as Senior Advisor to Magna Mining Inc.

Earlier in her career Ms. Freitas was a Senior Internal Auditor at Holcim (Brazil) S.A. and an external auditor at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in Brazil.

She holds a postgraduate degree in Financial Management from PUC-MG, a Bachelor of Accounting from Fumec and a Bachelor of Business Administration from PUC-MG. She is a Certified Fraud Examiner, holds the Certification in Risk Management Assurance and is a Certified Internal Auditor with The Institute of Internal Auditors. She has completed executive programs at Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan. Ms. Freitas is based in Nova Lima, Minas Gerais.

The Board has determined Ms. Freitas to be independent within the meaning of National Instrument 52-110 Audit Committees. She has been appointed Chair of the Company's Audit Committee.

Comment from the CEO

"Marina's appointment strengthens the Board at an important stage in the Company's development. She served as chief financial officer of a listed gold producer in Minas Gerais, established its internal audit, risk and compliance functions, and coordinated a share issuance on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Spark has advanced significantly over the past year, and the composition of its Board should reflect that. I am delighted she has accepted our invitation, and I look forward to working alongside her," said Dr. Fernando Tallarico, CEO and Chairman of Spark Energy Minerals Inc.

About Spark Energy Minerals Inc.

Spark Energy Minerals Inc. is a Canadian critical minerals exploration company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE: SPRK), the OTC market (OTC Pink: SPARF) and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FSE: 8PC). The Company's principal asset is the Arapaima Project, comprising approximately 91,900 hectares across several municipalities in the Lithium Valley region of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The Company has made gallium and rare earth element discoveries at Cruzeta and, more recently, at Boa Vista, where mineralization is hosted in ionic adsorption clays developed over the Caladão Granite. Lithium-bearing pegmatites are a secondary target on the property. No mineral resource or mineral reserve has been estimated on the Arapaima Project.

Spark's registered office is at Suite 704 - 595 Howe Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 2T5, Canada.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Fernando Tallarico, PhD, P.Geo., FSEG, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Company, who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Spark Energy Minerals Inc.

The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking information"). Forward-looking information includes all statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking information can often, but not always, be identified by words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "will", "may", "could", "would", "should", "potential", "target" or "objective", or variations of these words and similar expressions, or by statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would or will be taken, occur or be achieved.

Forward-looking information in this news release includes, without limitation, statements regarding: the appointment of Ms. Freitas as a director of the Company and the timing and effectiveness of that appointment; the receipt of acceptance from the Canadian Securities Exchange; the determination by the Board of Directors that Ms. Freitas is independent within the meaning of National Instrument 52-110 Audit Committees; the composition of the Company's Audit Committee and the appointment of Ms. Freitas as its Chair; the anticipated contribution of Ms. Freitas to the Company; the Company's governance arrangements, including the constitution of any additional committees of the Board; and the Company's business plans, exploration programs, financing activities and objectives.

Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions that management considers reasonable as at the date of this news release, including, without limitation: that Ms. Freitas will deliver the documentation required to complete her appointment, including her consent to act as a director and a completed Personal Information Form; that the Canadian Securities Exchange will accept the appointment without objection and within the anticipated timeframe; that no circumstance will arise that would cause the Board to revise its determination as to Ms. Freitas's independence; that the Company will continue to have access to the financing required to carry out its plans; that the Company will retain the services of its key personnel; and that there will be no material adverse change in general economic conditions, commodity prices, or the regulatory environment in Canada or Brazil.

Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including, without limitation: that the appointment may be delayed or may not become effective; that the Canadian Securities Exchange may not accept the appointment; that Ms. Freitas may resign, or may be unable or unwilling to serve, or may cease to be independent; that the Company may be unable to constitute or maintain committees of the Board as contemplated; the risks inherent in mineral exploration and development, including that exploration may not result in the discovery or delineation of any mineral resource; the Company's ability to raise capital on acceptable terms or at all; the possibility that any anticipated third party or government funding may not be received, or may be reduced, delayed or made subject to conditions; changes in commodity prices and exchange rates; title, permitting, environmental and community relations risks; the risks of operating in Brazil; the Company's dependence on a limited number of key individuals; and the other risk factors described in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on it. All forward-looking information in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and is made as of the date of this news release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/312887