ATLAS LITHIUM RECEIVES US$ 20,000,000 IN NON-DILUTIVE FUNDING VIA A ROYALTY TRANSACTION Largest Lithium Royalty Transaction in Brazil Ongoing 40,000-meter Drilling Campaign Fully Funded BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL--(May 2, 2023)
Atlas Lithium Corporation (NASDAQ: ATLX) ("Atlas Lithium" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company sold a 3.0% Gross Overriding Revenue royalty to Lithium Royalty Corp. ("LRC") (TSX: LIRC) in exchange for an upfront cash consideration of US$ 20,000,000 (the "Transaction") received today. These funds will expedite the development of Atlas Lithium's world-class hard-rock lithium project located in the Lithium Valley, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. LRC is widely considered the premier lithium-focused royalty company and recently completed a highly successful initial public offering. This Transaction is the largest lithium royalty deal in Brazil to date and underscores the quality of Atlas Lithium's mineral assets. The details of the Transaction can be found in the Current Report on Form 8-K which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission today.
Marc Fogassa, Atlas Lithium's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer commented: "This is a landmark transaction for Atlas Lithium. Mr. Ernie Ortiz, the President and CEO of LRC, is one of the most experienced lithium investors in the world. As part of his due diligence, he met our management and operational teams, visited our Neves Project, and witnessed our drilling campaign first-hand. Mr. Ortiz has been an advocate for clean energy since 2014, and it is a privilege to have him and LRC partner with us and support our growth. Twenty million dollars is our largest raise and will solidly reinforce our continued growth. Importantly, this capital was raised in an entirely non-dilutive manner: not a single share of stock was sold."
Atlas Lithium currently has 10 active drills working towards delineating the lithium resource at the Neves Project, which represents a cluster of four claims out of the Company's total of 64 mineral rights for hard-rock lithium. An initial mineral resource report for the Neves Project under the guidelines of Regulation SK 1300 (the "Resource Report") is expected to be released in mid-2023. The Company will continue its drilling campaign following the publication of the Resource Report and plans on releasing periodic updates to such report as further drilling data is obtained.
Atlas Lithium's drilling campaign is focused on its flagship pegmatite, "Anitta," a 1.1-kilometer formation which has been proven to contain high-quality spodumene, a key lithium-bearing mineral. Anitta remains open along strike and at depth; the current drilling campaign is intended to determine the pegmatite's dimensions. Recently, the Company reported that a drill hole within Anitta identified a spodumene intersect with a high geochemical reading of 4.40% Li2O. The drilling activity within Anitta has yielded multiple instances of fresh, high-grade spodumene intersects located near the surface, a characteristic that is conducive to the development of an open pit mine.
Recently, Atlas Lithium disclosed that it had received the final metallurgical report ("Metallurgical Report") from SGS Canada Inc. ("SGS") for studies performed over several months on a representative ore sample from the Neves Project. The metallurgical results obtained by SGS showed highly effective separation, high recovery rate, and negligible impurities using standard, environmentally friendly Dense Media Separation ("DMS") techniques. The Metallurgical Report will become a chapter in the forthcoming Resource Report. Following the completion of the Metallurgical Report, SGS will begin work on a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") which is expected to be issued approximately two months after the Resource Report.
About Atlas Lithium Corporation Atlas Lithium Corporation (NASDAQ: ATLX) is focused on advancing and developing its 100%-owned hard-rock lithium projects which consist of 64 mineral rights spread over approximately 75,040 acres (304 km2) located primarily in the Lithium Valley area of the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. In total, Atlas Lithium has 100% ownership of mineral rights for almost all battery metals including lithium (304 km2), nickel (222 km2), rare earths (122 km2), titanium (89 km2), and graphite (56 km2), in addition to mining concessions for gold, diamonds, and sand. The Company also owns approximately 45% of Apollo Resources Corp. (private company; iron) and approximately 28% of Jupiter Gold Corp. (OTCQB: JUPGF; gold and quartzite).
About Lithium Royalty Corp.Lithium Royalty Corp. ("LRC") (TSX: LIRC) is a lithium-focused royalty company with a globally diversified portfolio of 31 high grade, top quartile revenue royalties on mineral properties around the world that supply and are expected to supply raw materials to support the electrification of transportation and decarbonization of the global economy. Our portfolio is focused on high-grade and low-cost mineral projects that are primarily located in top tier jurisdictions predominantly in Australia, Canada, South America and the United States. LRC is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment, and the integration of ESG factors and sustainable mining are important considerations in our investment analysis and royalty acquisitions.
