Saguenay, Quebec -
Newsfile Corp.
- May 26, 2026 - First Phosphate Corp (CSE: PHOS) (OTCQX: FRSPF) (OTCQX
ADR: FPHOY) (FSE: KD0) ("First Phosphate" or the "Company") is pleased
to announce the results of its updated Mineral Resource Estimate ("MRE")
for its Bégin-Lamarche project in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Québec,
Canada. The updated MRE includes results from the 2025-2026 drilling
program described in the Company's press release dated April 27, 2026.
-
- The updated MRE includes a 378% increase in Indicated Mineral Resources over the Company's Initial MRE dated September 9, 2024.
-
- Measured pit-constrained Mineral Resource: 6.2 Mt @ 7.70% P2O5 (phosphate).
-
- Indicated pit-constrained Mineral Resource: 198.5 Mt @ 6.00% P2O5.
-
- Inferred pit-constrained Mineral Resource: 89.5 Mt @ 6.16% P2O5.
-
- The Deposit remains open at depth.
-
- Metallurgical test work indicates an anticipated apatite concentrate grade of 40.4% P2O5
at an 88% process recovery rate, with very low levels of potentially
deleterious elements, and has been qualified for production of
battery-grade phosphoric acid for lithium iron phosphate ("LFP") battery
with a conversion ratio of 91.1%.
-
The Deposit is located next to existing road and hydroelectric
infrastructure and at only 70 km driving distance from the deep-sea Port
of Saguenay.
-
- The Deposit benefits from definitive, long-term, partially prepaid offtake from an existing, creditworthy partner.
-
Apatite (phosphorus, phosphate) is listed on the critical
minerals lists of Québec, Canada, the United States and the European
Union.
"We are pleased with the results of our 2025-2026 drilling exploration
program and the quantity and quality upgrade provided to our Mineral
Resources," says First Phosphate CEO, John Passalacqua. "We are now able
to continue to move the project forward with great confidence in our
Mineral Resources."
The updated MRE, with an effective date of May 1, 2026, was carried out
by Mr. Antoine Yassa, P.Geo., of P&E Mining Consultants Inc., who is
an Independent Qualified Person within the meaning of Canadian
Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101: Standards of
Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").
The Bégin-Lamarche Phosphate Deposit contains a significant phosphate
Mineral Resource that is associated with well-defined oxide-apatite
peridotite (OAP) intrusions within the large Lac-Saint-Jean anorthosite
suite (LSJAS). The LSJAS is the largest phosphate-mineralized
anorthosite worldwide. The phosphate Deposit is comprised of four
mineralized zones which are continuous, only separated by faults within
the Deposit and extend over a length of 2,750 m (Figure 1). The Mountain
Zone is a single phosphate-bearing mass having a diameter of up to 200 m
and a length of 250 m. The Northern zone is comprised of four phosphate
layers ranging from 30 m to 200 m in thickness and a length of 625 m.
The Central Zone bears eight phosphate layers, one of them having up to
50 m in thickness and extending to 900 m. The Southern Zone bears three
phosphate layers, one of them having up to 125 m in thickness and
extending to 725 m.
Figure 1 - The Bégin-Lamarche Deposit Updated Optimized Pit Shell
Cannot view this video' Visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch'v=d3kPMqd6rUU
The Bégin-Lamarche Deposit mineralized wireframes boundaries were
determined from lithology, structure, and grade boundary interpretation
based on visual inspection of drill hole cross-sections. Four
mineralized wireframe zones were developed and referred to as the
Mountain, Northern, Central and Southern Zones. The mineralized
wireframes were constructed on 50 m spaced vertical cross-sections, with
on-screen digitized polylines on drill hole cross-sections in GEMS™.
The mineralized wireframe outlines were influenced by the selection of
mineralized material above 2.5% P
2O
5 that
demonstrated a lithological and structural zonal continuity along strike
and down dip. In some cases, mineralization <2.5% P
2O
5
was included for the purpose of maintaining mineralized zone
continuity. The minimum constrained width for mineralized wireframe
interpretation was 3 m of drill core length.
The Bégin-Lamarche Mineral Resource Estimate is based on 276 drill holes
totalling 68,345 m. The database contained 20,682 analyses for
percentage of P
2O
5. The Mineral Resource Estimate is presented in Table 1.
Table 1
Pit-Constrained Mineral Resource Estimate(1-4) at 2.5% P2O5 Cut-Off
|
|
Classification
|
Zone
|
Tonnes (M)
|
P2O5 (%)
|
P2O5 (Mt)
|
|
Measured
|
Mountain
|
6.2
|
7.70
|
0.47
|
|
Total
|
6.2
|
7.7
|
0.47
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Indicated
|
Mountain
|
5.3
|
8.45
|
0.45
|
|
Northern
|
78.3
|
6.69
|
5.24
|
|
Central
|
71.0
|
5.50
|
3.91
|
|
Southern
|
43.9
|
5.26
|
2.31
|
|
Total
|
198.5
|
6.00
|
11.91
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Measured & Indicated
|
Mountain
|
11.5
|
8.04
|
0.92
|
|
Northern
|
78.3
|
6.69
|
5.24
|
|
Central
|
71.0
|
5.50
|
3.91
|
|
Southern
|
43.9
|
5.26
|
2.31
|
|
Total
|
204.7
|
6.05
|
12.38
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Inferred
|
Mountain
|
0.5
|
9.09
|
0.04
|
|
Northern
|
30.7
|
7.33
|
2.25
|
|
Central
|
31.8
|
5.67
|
1.80
|
|
Southern
|
26.5
|
5.32
|
1.41
|
|
Total
|
89.5
|
6.16
|
5.50
|
Note: P2O5 = phosphorus pentoxide.
1. Mineral Resources, which are not Mineral Reserves, do not have demonstrated economic viability.
2. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by
environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political,
marketing, or other relevant issues.
3. The Inferred Mineral Resource in this estimate has a lower level
of confidence than that applied to an Indicated Mineral Resource and
must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. The Company expects that the
majority of the Inferred Mineral Resource may be upgraded to an
Indicated Mineral Resource with continued exploration.
4. The Mineral Resources in this press release were estimated using
the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), CIM
Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions (2014) and Best
Practices Guidelines (2019) prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on
Reserve Definitions and adopted by the CIM Council.
The Bégin-Lamarche Mineral Resource Estimate was derived from applying a 2.5% P
2O
5
cut-off value to the pit-constrained block model and reporting the
resulting tonnes and grades for potentially mineable areas. The
following parameters were used to calculate the cut-off value that
determines the open pit potentially economic portion of the constrained
mineralization (Table 2).
The P
2O
5 cut-off value is calculated with parameters below:
-
US$:C$ Exchange Rate: $0.72
-
P2O5 Price (32%): US$225/t (approx five-year trailing average)
-
P2O5 Price (40%): US$280/t
-
P2O5 Process Recovery: 88%
-
Processing & Conc Transport Cost: C$20/t
-
G&A: $1.50/t
-
Mining Cost: C$2.75/t (mineralized material and waste)
-
Pit Slopes: 45°
Accordingly, the P
2O
5 cut-off of potential open pit mining is calculated to be = 2.5%.
The optimized pit-constrained Mineral Resource Estimate is moderately sensitive to the selection of reporting P
2O
5 cut-off values, as demonstrated in Table 2.
Table 2
Pit-Constrained Mineral Resource Estimate Sensitivity to P2O5 Cut-Off
|
|
Class
|
Cut-off
|
Tonnes
|
P2O5
|
P2O5
|
|
P2O5 %
|
(M)
|
(%)
|
(Mt)
|
|
Measured
|
5.0
|
4.9
|
8.67
|
0.4
|
|
4.5
|
5.2
|
8.43
|
0.4
|
|
4.0
|
5.5
|
8.22
|
0.5
|
|
3.5
|
5.8
|
8.02
|
0.5
|
|
3.0
|
6.0
|
7.84
|
0.5
|
|
2.5
|
6.2
|
7.70
|
0.5
|
|
2.0
|
6.3
|
7.57
|
0.5
|
|
Indicated
|
5.0
|
119.0
|
7.41
|
8.8
|
|
4.5
|
138.0
|
7.05
|
9.7
|
|
4.0
|
156.8
|
6.71
|
10.5
|
|
3.5
|
172.9
|
6.44
|
11.1
|
|
3.0
|
186.7
|
6.20
|
11.6
|
|
2.5
|
198.5
|
6.00
|
11.9
|
|
2.0
|
207.6
|
5.83
|
12.1
|
|
Inferred
|
5.0
|
55.5
|
7.49
|
4.2
|
|
4.5
|
65.0
|
7.09
|
4.6
|
|
4.0
|
73.6
|
6.75
|
5.0
|
|
3.5
|
80.9
|
6.49
|
5.2
|
|
3.0
|
86.0
|
6.29
|
5.4
|
|
2.5
|
89.5
|
6.16
|
5.5
|
|
2.0
|
92.0
|
6.05
|
5.6
|
Metallurgical Testwork has been successfully conducted by SGS at their
Québec City facility with additional support by SGS Lakefield Ontario.
Recent test results have confirmed that an apatite concentrate can be
obtained analyzing 40.4% P
2O
5 and at 88% recovery.
First Phosphate's Bégin-Lamarche Deposit is located approximately 50 km
driving distance north of the City of Saguenay, Québec's sixth-largest
city, which hosts daily flights to Montréal, a skilled industrial
workforce, strong local infrastructure, and which is 30 km driving
distance from the deep-sea Port of Saguenay.
The geological and drilling work was planned, carried out and supervised
by Laurentia Exploration Inc. The drill core was logged at Lamarche
near the Deposit and at Laurentia Exploration's offices. The drill core
was sawed and sampled at Laurentia Exploration's offices in Jonquière.
Qualified Persons
The scientific and technical disclosure for First Phosphate included in
this News Release have been reviewed and approved by Steeve Lavoie,
P.Geo. Mr. Lavoie is Chief Geologist of the Company and a Qualified
Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure of
Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").
The Qualified Person independent of the issuer, responsible for
estimating the Mineral Resources of the Begin-Lamarche Property, within
the meaning of NI 43-101, is Mr. Antoine Yassa, P.Geo., of the firm
P&E Mining Consultants Inc. Mr. Yassa has read and approved the
scientific and technical information in this press release for accuracy
and compliance with NI 43-101.
P&E Mining Consultants Inc., an associate group of 20 geological and
mine engineering professionals established in 2004, provides geological
and mine engineering consulting reports, Mineral Resource and Mineral
Reserve Estimates, NI 43-101 Technical Reports, Preliminary Economic
Assessments, Pre-Feasibility and Feasibility Studies.
Laurentia Exploration inc. is a firm of consulting geologists based in
Jonquière, Saguenay Lac-St-Jean. It has 80 employees, mainly geology
professionals who are members in good standing of a professional order.
The firm was founded in 2017 and carries out projects throughout Québec
and Ontario.
About First Phosphate Corp.
First Phosphate (CSE: PHOS) (OTCQX: FRSPF) (OTCQX ADR: FPHOY) (FSE: KD0)
is a mineral exploration and development and clean technology company
dedicated to building and reshoring a vertically integrated
mine-to-market supply chain for the production of LFP batteries in North
America. Target markets include energy storage, data centers, robotics,
mobility, and national security.
First Phosphate's flagship Bégin-Lamarche property, located in
Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Québec, Canada, represents a rare North
American igneous phosphate resource producing high-purity phosphate
characterized by very low levels of impurities.
For additional information
Steeve Lavoie
Chief Geologist
Tel: +1 (418) 815-5416
Investor Relations:
https://firstphosphate.com/investors
General Inquiries:
https://firstphosphate.com/contact
Website:
www.FirstPhosphate.com
X :
https://x.com/FirstPhosphate
LinkedIn :
https://www.linkedin.com/company/first-phosphate
Forward-Looking Information and Cautionary Statement
This news release contains certain statements and information that
may be considered "forward-looking statements" and "forward looking
information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. In some
cases, but not necessarily in all cases, forward-looking statements and
forward-looking information can be identified by the use of
forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "targets", "expects" or
"does not expect", "is expected", "an opportunity exists", "is
positioned", "estimates", "intends", "assumes", "anticipates" or "does
not anticipate" or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases
or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could",
"would", "might", "will" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved"
and other similar expressions. In addition, statements in this news
release that are not historical facts are forward looking statements,
including, among other things: the Company's planned exploration and
production activities; the properties and composition of any extracted
phosphate; and the calculation of mineral resources at the project and
the possibility of eventual economic extraction of minerals from the
project. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in
such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions,
such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual
results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking
statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those in forward-looking statements include development
and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and
financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. These
statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other
things: that engineering and construction timetables and capital costs
for the Company's, exploration, development and expansion projects are
correctly estimated and not affected by unforeseen circumstances; the
ability to obtain financing for its proposed operations on acceptable
terms; no material deterioration in general business and economic
conditions; no material delays in obtaining permits and other approvals;
no significant disruptions affecting the activities of the Company or
its ability to access required project equipment and services, and
operating supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis;
inflation and prices for Company project inputs being approximately
consistent with anticipated levels; the ability to complete the
exploration and development programs consistent with the Company's
expectations; commodity price expectations including assumptions for
P2O5; the Company's relationship with local municipalities and First
Nations remaining consistent with the Company's expectations; the
Company's relationship with other third-party partners and suppliers
remaining consistent with the Company's expectations; and government
relations and actions being consistent with Company expectations.
Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of
future performance and actual results or developments may differ
materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.
Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the
forward-looking information contained in this press release. The Company
does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking
statements, whether because of new information, future events or
otherwise, except as required by applicable law. All forward-looking
information contained in this release is qualified by these cautionary
statements.
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