Appointment of Drill Contractor

New Frontier Minerals Limited (LSE/ASX: NFM) is pleased to announce that GeoDrill Australia has been appointed as the drilling contractor to undertake the maiden Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling program at the Harts Range Project, located 140km north-east of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia.

Additionally, MBS Environmental were engaged to complete a desktop flora and fauna assessment for the Harts Range Project. All environmental and regulatory documents and applications have been lodged, with drilling to commence upon receipt of final approvals. Logistics scheduling including site works, and drill-target planning are underway, with the first holes to be drilled at the Cusp and Bobs Prospects.

Highlights

• GeoDrill Australia appointed to undertake the maiden Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling program at the Harts Range Project in the NT
• All environmental and regulatory applications for land access have been lodged, with drilling to commence at Harts Range on receiving final approvals
• Drilling readiness and logistics including site works and drill target planning are underway with the first holes to be drilled at Cusp and Bobs
• Harts Range positioned as a potential major source of U.S. critical minerals, with the projects inventory overlapping 17 of the 54 commodities on the U.S. DOI draft 2025 critical list1

Chairman Gerrard Hall commented: "We are very encouraged by the progress at the Harts Range Project as we move closer to commencing our maiden drilling program and I would like to acknowledge the efforts of our team and stakeholders as we advance preparations and finalise regulatory approvals. We are pleased to have appointed GeoDrill Australia, a well-regarded drilling contractor with a strong track record across Australian exploration projects, recognised for its outstanding safety record and professional culture.

The presence of 17 minerals on the U.S. critical minerals list2 within Harts Range, including strategically important heavy rare earths such as dysprosium and terbium, highlights the potential significance and strategic nature of the Harts Range Project. The Board and management are excited by the opportunity to unlock substantial value for shareholders while contributing to the secure supply of critical commodities essential to modern technologies and the global energy transition."

GEODRILL APPOINTED AS DRILLING CONTRACTOR

GeoDrill Australia has been appointed to undertake the maiden reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Harts Range Project in the Northern Territory. GeoDrill is a well-regarded, family-owned drilling contractor based in Queensland, with a strong track record of servicing exploration projects across Australia. The company is recognised for its outstanding safety record, professional culture, and advanced capabilities across exploration, geotechnical, and water drilling.

In parallel, New Frontier Minerals engaged MBS Environmental to complete a desktop flora and fauna assessment for the Harts Range Project. All required environmental and regulatory documentation have now been lodged with the Northern Territory Mines Department, with final approvals to commence drilling anticipated in the near term.

HARTS RANGE POSITIONED AS A MAJOR SOURCE OF U.S. CRITICAL MINERALS

Critical minerals play a vital role in supporting the economy and safeguarding national security, yet their supply chains remain highly vulnerable to disruption.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), recently published its draft 2025 List of Critical Minerals2, identifying 54 mineral commodities essential to U.S. economic and national security (Figure 1). These include multiple rare earth elements such as dysprosium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, lanthanum, lutetium, neodymium, praseodymium, samarium, terbium, thulium, ytterbium and yttrium - each considered "critical" because disruptions to their supply could harm U.S. industry and defense.

HARTS RANGE INVENTORY ON U.S. CRITICAL LIST

Exploration at Harts Range has confirmed high-grade heavy rare earth and niobium mineralisation. Rock-chip sampling has returned values up to 20.12% total rare earth oxides (TREO) with very high heavy-rare-earth ratios3. Notably, dysprosium and terbium concentrations are particularly strong.

Harts Range hosts seventeen (17) of the 54 critical minerals which include the individual rare earths mineral suite, including dysprosium, terbium, erbium, ytterbium, yttrium and others, alongside niobium and related metals which covers 17 of the 54 commodities on the U.S. draft critical list2.

This announcement was approved for release by the Board of New Frontier Minerals Limited.

OPERATIONAL PROGRESS AND NEXT STEPS

• All environmental and regulatory applications have been lodged with drilling to commence on receiving final approvals.
• GeoDrill Australia has been appointed to undertake the maiden reverse circulation drilling program. Logistics and target planning are well advanced, with initial drilling to focus on the high-priority Cusp and Bobs prospects, where previous sampling returned standout rare earth and niobium grades.
• New Frontier Minerals is actively engaging with U.S. and Australian government representatives to highlight the strategic potential of Harts Range as a future supplier of critical minerals.

Figure 1: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 2025 draft list of critical minerals 2

This announcement was approved for release by the Board of New Frontier Minerals Limited.

REFERENCES

• U.S. Department of the Interior - Draft 2025 List of Critical Minerals
• U.S. Geological Survey - Critical minerals and supply-chain risks https://www.usgs.gov/index.php/media/images/2025-draft-list-critical-minerals
• NFM ASX Release "Sampling returns 10.61% TREO with 23.56% Nb2O5 and 15.67% Ta2O5 at Harts Range, NT