Ares Strategic Mining Commences Lumps Plant Commissioning, Sets Production Date

Ares Strategic Mining Inc. (CSE: ARS) (OTCQX: ARSMF) (FRA: N8I1) announced that commissioning of its Metallurgical Lumps Plant has commenced at the Company's processing facility in Delta, Utah. For the first time, the entire processing plant has been powered up and is operating as one fully integrated system, marking the beginning of a four-week commissioning program.

The Lumps Plant is designed to process ore from the Company's Lost Sheep Mine into metallurgical-grade fluorspar lumps, or metspar, a product primarily supplied to U.S. steel industries. Commissioning testing involves verifying complete process flows, testing PLC control systems and HMI interfaces, monitoring operating parameters such as temperatures and pressures, validating alarm systems, and assessing crushing and drying to ensure product quality meets customer specifications.

James Walker, President and CEO of Ares Strategic Mining, stated, "It's incredibly rewarding to see the entire Lumps Plant operating together for the first time. This is an exciting milestone for everyone involved with Ares and reflects years of planning, engineering and construction. Our focus now is on completing commissioning successfully and beginning production."

As commissioning progresses, fluorspar ore stockpiled at the Lost Sheep Mine will be transported to the Delta facility to support testing and initial ramp-up production runs. The Company expects ramp-up production to begin on August 15, 2026. Ramp-up involves increasing feed to full plant production potential. According to the Company's press release of March 27, 2024, commercial offtake agreements are already in place covering the expected initial metspar production for the first five years.

The Lumps Plant has a designed processing capacity of approximately 150,000 tonnes per annum, providing capacity to support increased mine output and expansion across the Lost Sheep Project and the wider Spor Mountain Range. Walker added, "We've intentionally built infrastructure that extends well beyond our initial mining rate. As we continue developing additional fluorspar targets across our property, this processing capacity gives us a platform for future growth while supporting our objective of establishing a secure U.S. supply of this critical mineral."

Ares Strategic Mining is focused on developing its fluorspar projects in the U.S., aiming to become a significant supplier of high-grade fluorspar to North American markets. The Lost Sheep Fluorspar Project in Delta, Utah, is 100% owned, fully permitted, and comprises 5,982 acres with 353 claims. A NI 43-101 Technical Report identified high-grade fluorspar with low levels of impurities, and the mining plan has been approved by the Bureau of Land Management.

The commissioning milestone underscores the Company's progress toward domestic production of a mineral deemed critical for U.S. industries, reducing reliance on foreign sources. A video of the plant startup can be viewed at https://youtu.be/8CzwUTRsSOA.