Trekor Updates Status of Aley Niobium and Strengthens Project Team

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trekor Metals Limited (TSX: TKO; NYSE American: TGB; LSE: TKO) (“Trekor” or the “Company”) is pleased to provide an update on the Company’s wholly-owned Aley niobium project, an advanced-stage development project located in northeastern British Columbia, Canada.

Over the past several years, the Aley Project team has continued development of a proprietary flotation process, resulting in higher niobium recoveries and reduced reagent consumption. The concentrate produced with this process has been used to successfully produce market grade ferroniobium, a critical input for specialty steel production. The team is also evaluating opportunities to use the concentrate to produce high purity niobium oxide directly, or by utilizing a third-party processor. In connection with this work, the Company has appointed Steve Sparkowich as Director, Aley Niobium, to support technical development, market positioning and commercial strategy for the project.

Stuart McDonald, President & CEO of Trekor, commented, “Our technical team has done a great job improving Aley’s process flowsheet in recent years. We believe Aley has the potential to be a major new source of niobium, a designated critical mineral in Canada, the United States and Europe, and we look forward to advancing commercial and strategic discussions with niobium consumers seeking a reliable North American supply chain.”

Aley Project Details

Based on a previously issued National Instrument 43-101 technical report, the Aley Project contains an estimated 84 million tonnes of proven and probable mineral reserves grading 0.50% Nb2O5. With a processing rate of 10,000 tonnes per day, the mine would have a production capacity of 14,000 tonnes of ferroniobium (nine million kilograms of contained niobium) per year over a 24 year mine life.

A significant amount of development work has been completed on the project since the last technical report. A focus of this technical work has been a refinement of the process flowsheet which has undergone a pilot test program using material from a metallurgical sample taken in 2018. The test program has confirmed the operability of a new, optimized flotation process that has yielded higher niobium recoveries and improved concentrate grades with much reduced reagent consumption.

The test program generated enough niobium concentrate to complete the development of a two-stage smelting process which has successfully produced marketable ferroniobium. The proprietary flotation process has been patented by Trekor in the United States, Australia, Brazil and in Europe. The project team is also developing a hydrometallurgical flowsheet that would produce niobium oxide from Aley’s flotation concentrate.

The project team is now scaling up the pilot program to produce additional quantities of ferroniobium, with the focus shifting towards product marketing initiatives and engagement with potential offtake parties and processors.

Management Appointment – Steve Sparkowich

Mr. Sparkowich is a licensed Professional Metallurgical Engineer who brings more than 30 years of experience in materials engineering, metallurgy, new business development, and supply chain innovation. His career has focused extensively on critical and refractory metals, including niobium. In his new role, Mr. Sparkowich will support technical development, market positioning and commercial strategy for Aley. His work will focus on connecting Aley’s flowsheet development and product capabilities with the requirements of major niobium-consuming customers seeking a reliable North American supply chain, including large steel mills as well as stainless steel, superalloy and niobium producers.

Richard Tremblay, Chief Operating Officer of Trekor, commented, “We are excited to have Mr. Sparkowich join the Aley Project team. Niobium is a strategically important material for high-performance steels, stainless steels, niobium alloys, superalloys, emerging magnetic materials, superconductors, energy systems, and other critical technologies. Mr. Sparkowich’s deep technical knowledge of niobium and other critical metals will play a key role in advancing the flowsheet optimization, production plan development and market engagement and provide a strong foundation for customer qualification, and long-term commercial discussions.”

Technical Report and Qualified Person and NI 43-101

The scientific and technical information relating to the Aley Project is based on the technical report titled “Technical Report on Mineral Reserves at the Aley Project, British Columbia, Canada” issued October 30, 2014 with an effective date of September 15, 2014, as amended and restated December 4, 2017 which is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Robert Rotzinger, P.Eng., Vice President, Capital Projects for Trekor Metals, who is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

For further information on Trekor, see the Company’s website at trekormetals.com or contact:

Stuart McDonald

President and CEO

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover our business risks;

our ability to comply with the extensive governmental regulation to which our business is subject;

uncertainties related to unexpected judicial or regulatory proceedings;

litigation risks and the inherent uncertainty of litigation;

our ability to renegotiate our existing union agreement for Gibraltar when it expires in May 2027;

our reliance upon key personnel;

the competitive environment in which we operate;

uncertainties relating to the delivery of oil through the Strait of Hormuz resulting from Middle East instability, which could have an adverse effect on global economic activity and potentially increase operating costs generally and reduce global demand for copper, and have a material adverse effect on our business, operations, and the feasibility of our development projects;