Lithium Ionic Engages RTEK to Support Construction and Operational Readiness of Bandeira Project; Announces Leadership Transition to Strengthen Project Execution

/EIN News/ -- TORONTO, April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lithium Ionic Corp. (TSXV: LTH; OTCQB: LTHCF; FSE: H3N) (“Lithium Ionic” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that pursuant to a services agreement signed April 2, 2025 (the “RTEK Agreement”), it has engaged RTEK International DMCC (“RTEK”) as a strategic advisor to fast-track the development of its flagship Bandeira Lithium Project (“Bandeira” or the “Project”) in Brazil’s prolific Lithium Valley. This long-term partnership integrates world-class lithium expertise into Lithium Ionic’s owner’s team as the Project transitions from feasibility to construction and operations.

RTEK is recognized globally for its technical and operational expertise in the lithium sector. The team has over 80 years of combined lithium experience in chemical and metallurgical operations, process development, geology and project execution. Their track record of accelerating project timelines, reducing capital intensity, and launching successful lithium operations globally, will be instrumental in unlocking the full value of the Bandeira Project.

Blake Hylands, P.Geo., CEO of Lithium Ionic, commented, “We are thrilled to welcome RTEK’s deeply experienced team to support Bandeira’s next phase of growth. Their lithium-specific expertise, paired with a history of delivering high-performance operations, aligns perfectly with our vision for Bandeira. With construction approaching, RTEK’s involvement strengthens our execution capabilities and brings valuable insight from proven success in Brazil’s Lithium Valley.”

RTEK is led by a globally recognized team of lithium industry veterans, including Brian Talbot, Nicholas Rowley, Noel O’Brien, and Rodrigo Roso, who have delivered results across the full mine lifecycle, from feasibility through to production. As part of the owner’s team, RTEK will conduct a detailed review of Lithium Ionic’s NI 43-101 Feasibility Study, identifying opportunities to optimize plant and mine design, reduce CAPEX and OPEX, and explore strategies to compress the development timeline, ultimately positioning Bandeira as one of Brazil’s next high-impact lithium producers.

Beyond engineering management and construction planning, RTEK will also develop a comprehensive operational strategy. This includes optimizing processes, managing commissioning, and overseeing ramp-up activities to ensure best-in-class production performance.

Brian Talbot, Founder and Director of RTEK, commented, “We’re excited to join forces with Lithium Ionic at such a pivotal moment in the development of the Bandeira Project. With a strong foundation already in place, we see excellent potential to accelerate the advancement of this project to production by applying proven strategies in design optimization, cost efficiency, and execution discipline. Bandeira has all the hallmarks of a globally competitive lithium operation, and we look forward to helping unlock that value as part of the owner’s team.”

Mr. Talbot is a seasoned lithium executive with extensive operational experience leading some of the world’s most prominent hard rock lithium operations. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer of Sigma Lithium (NASDAQ: SGML; TSX: SGML), where he successfully transitioned the Grota do Cirilo Project in Brazil from construction to production. At Galaxy Resources (now Arcadium Lithium; NYSE: ALTM; ASX: ALTM), he played a key role in doubling output at the Mt. Cattlin mine in Australia and driving operational improvements. His deep expertise in dense media separation (DMS) technology, process optimization, and mine development has consistently delivered strong results, making him instrumental in positioning Bandeira as a future leading lithium producer.

Mr. Rowley brings over 16 years of experience in strategic M&A, equity financings and commodity trading, with a strong focus on building supply chains to Asia, particularly for lithium ore sourced from Australia, South America, and Africa. During his tenure at Galaxy Resources (now Arcadium Lithium), he played a pivotal role in M&A, leading the Corporate Development team in forging strategic partnerships, securing offtake agreements, and managing asset divestitures. His efforts were instrumental in facilitating the US$4 billion merger with Orocobre Limited, creating one of the world’s leading lithium producers globally.

Mr. O’Brien is a seasoned metallurgist with over 40 years of global experience in lithium processing, project development, and operations. He has held senior technical and advisory roles across numerous high-profile lithium projects, including Mt. Holland (Wesfarmers), Goulamina (formerly owned by Birimian Ltd.), Galaxy Resources (now Arcadium Lithium), and Bikita Minerals. Known for his expertise in flowsheet design, cost-effective processing solutions, and project execution, he has successfully advanced projects from concept to commissioning. His extensive experience will be key to optimizing Bandeira’s design and ensuring efficient operational readiness.

Mr. Roso is a mining executive and corporate lawyer with over 20 years of experience in project development, corporate finance, and M&A. Throughout his career, Rodrigo has played a pivotal role in the execution of projects exceeding $35 billion in CAPEX, contributing to the growth and success of major mining enterprises, with involvement at companies such as Sigma Lithium, Vale, Mosaic, Largo Resources, and Yamana. His broad experience spans both in-house leadership and advisory roles, giving him a strong command of legal, regulatory, and strategic frameworks critical to advancing mining assets. His strategic insight and deep industry knowledge will be instrumental in supporting the successful development and execution of the Bandeira Project.

About the RTEK Agreement

Pursuant to the RTEK Agreement, RTEK consultants will be integrated with Lithium Ionic’s owner’s team to drive the advancement of the Bandeira Project. Their mandate includes progressing detailed engineering, optimizing the operational design, and identifying opportunities to reduce CAPEX and OPEX to ensure cost-efficiencies and prepare the Project for construction readiness (the “Services”).

Unless terminated pursuant to the terms therein, the RTEK Agreement shall continue until the completion of the Services. As consideration for the Services, (i) Lithium Ionic and RTEK shall agree on an operational budget which shall be paid in cash; and (ii) if RTEK achieves certain operational milestones (the “Milestones”), including the reduction in Project CAPEX, Project implementation and commissioning of a dense media separation plan for the Project, RTEK shall be entitled to compensation in Lithium Ionic common shares (the “Share Compensation”). The Share Compensation will only be issued following the completion of the applicable Milestone and the price per Lithium Ionic share shall be determined after the Milestone has been completed.

The RTEK Agreement and all Share Compensation is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.  All LTH common shares issued in connection with the RTEK Agreement will be subject to a statutory hold period of four‐months and a day in accordance with applicable Canadian Securities Laws.  

The Bandeira Project has rapidly established itself as one of the fastest growing and most promising lithium assets in Brazil’s Lithium Valley, with a robust feasibility study outlining strong economics, bottom-quartile operating costs, and a near-term path to production. The engagement of RTEK reinforces Lithium Ionic’s commitment to leveraging world-class expertise as it transitions from feasibility into construction on its path towards becoming Brazil’s next major lithium producer.

Leadership Transition to Support Next Phase of Project Development

Lithium Ionic also announces a change in its senior management team. Mike Westendorf, who joined the Company in February 2024 as Vice President, Technical Services, has been appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO), replacing Paulo Misk. Mr. Westendorf has over two decades of operational and technical experience in the mining industry, including leadership roles at Copper Mountain Mining Corp., where he oversaw production, capital projects, and technical performance. Since joining Lithium Ionic, he has played a key role in advancing the Bandeira Project, including his significant contributions to the Feasibility Study released in May 2024. The Company thanks Mr. Misk for his contributions and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Lithium Ionic Corp.
Blake Hylands
Chief Executive Officer, Director

About Lithium Ionic Corp.

Lithium Ionic is a Canadian mining company exploring and developing its lithium properties in Brazil. Its Itinga and Salinas group of properties cover ~17,000 hectares in the northeastern part of Minas Gerais state, a mining-friendly jurisdiction that is quickly emerging as a world-class hard-rock lithium district. Its Feasibility-stage Bandeira Project is situated in the same region as CBL’s Cachoeira lithium mine, which has produced lithium for +30 years, as well as Sigma Lithium Corp.’s Grota do Cirilo project, which hosts the largest hard-rock lithium deposit in the Americas.

Investor and Media Inquiries:

+1 647.316.2500
info@lithiumionic.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-statements.” Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes, in light of the experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. When used in this press release, the words “estimate”, “project”, “belief”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “expect”, “plan”, “predict”, “may” or “should” and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. The forward-looking statements and information in this press release include information relating to the RTEK Agreement, the Milestones and RTEK’s ability to achieve the Milestones, the Company’s ability to integrate the RTEK team, the total cost of engaging RTEK, the mineralization and prospectivity of the Company’s mineral properties, the development of Bandeira, the price of spodumene, the Company’s exploration and development program, the Company’s ability to construct the Project, the Company’s ability to obtain the requisite financing, the Company’s ability to obtain the requisite permits and approvals and the Company’s future plans. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

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