Star Metro - Grid Metals Continues to Expand Cesium Mineralization at Falcon West

Highlights (Drill Holes LU25-12 to 39):

• High-grade cesium intercepts from holes LU25-12 to LU25-39 (see Table 1) include:

  • 7.4m at 6.0% Cs₂O with 3.9 at 10.6% Cs₂O (LU25-18, from 20.75 metres)

  • 8.1m at 5.0% Cs₂O with 2.8m at 13.4% Cs₂O (LU25-21, from 18.35 metres)

  • 12.5m at 5.2% Cs₂O with 3.0m at 20.5% Cs₂O (LU25-36, from 26.55 metres)

• The cesium mineralization has now been defined over an initial area of 100 m x 30 m with an average thickness of approximately five (5) metres. The initial target area remains open in a number of directions.

• High-grade lithium intercepts in the reported drill holes include 4.4m at 3.1% Li₂O (LU25-25) and 5.5 m at 4.7% Li₂O (LU25-32). Most of the known lithium mineralization in the Lucy South pegmatite is associated with spodumene, as confirmed by visual logging and UV light fluorescence testing.

A total of 39 holes have now been reported from the Phase 1 program, in which 67 holes totalling 3,035 metres were completed. A Phase 2 drill program recently commenced and will include both infill and extension drilling around the known pollucite intersections.

Dr. Dave Peck, P. Geo., Grid's Vice President of Exploration, stated "We are pleased to continue to report positive cesium and lithium drill results at Lucy South. We are highly encouraged that the near-surface cesium mineralization appears to be showing good continuity within the initial 100 metre long and 30 metre wide target area. We are also pleased with the continuity and grade of associated lithium (spodumene) mineralization at Lucy South, which is spatially associated with the known pollucite intercepts. With both the cesium and lithium mineralization open in a number of directions, we look forward to testing the open-pit potential of Lucy South with our Phase 2 program."

Figure 1: Map of Lucy South target area with interpreted pierce points into the top of the flat-lying Lucy LCT pegmatite projected vertically to surface for holes LU25-01 to LU25-39 and previous holes completed in this area The initial priority target area is outlined by the dashed line and represents the outline of the Lucy South pegmatite where it is within approximately 50m of surface.

Table 1: Analytical Results for Drill Holes LU25-12 to LU25-39, Lucy South cesium target. See Appendix for hole locations. Note the true thickness for each interval reported is estimated to average 90% of the reported interval lengths.

Drill Results Discussion

With 39 of 67 holes reported from the Q4 2025 Lucy cesium drilling program, a much clearer picture of the geology and grade variability in the Lucy South pegmatite is emerging. Using a combination of geological logging, available assay results and 3D geological and geostatistical modeling software, the following key characteristics of the Lucy South LCT pegmatite have been gleaned:

1. The Lucy South LCT pegmatite, which hosts the lithium, cesium, rubidium and tantalum mineralization reported here and in the previous press releases for the Property, is a tabular dyke that has a general northeast strike, a shallow to moderate southeast dip, and an average true thickness of approximately ten (10) metres. The northwestern part of the dyke is exposed in outcrop;

2. The mineralized target zone within the Lucy South pegmatite consists of spodumene (lithium) and pollucite (cesium). It averages approximately five metres in true thickness and tends to occur in the middle parts of the dyke, with finer-grained wall zones commonly occurring on the upper and lower contacts with the enclosing mafic metavolcanic units;

3. The known pollucite intersections within Lucy South cover a drill-defined initial target area of ~100m along strike and 30 metres downdip, with maximum cesium grade x thickness (from the 39 holes reported to date) reaching 12.45 metres averaging 5.24% Cs₂O (LU25-36, Table 1). The maximum individual sample grade reported to date is 0.53 metres with 30.43% Cs₂O (hole LU25-21, Table 1);

4. The current distribution of pollucite-bearing drill intersections suggests a general southerly plunge to the highest-grade areas (i.e., Cs₂O-rich);

5. The known spodumene-rich intersections extend beyond the area covered by the pollucite-bearing portion of the dyke, with peak Li₂O (%) grade x thickness (for the 39 holes reported to date) reaching 6.83 metres with 3.91% Li₂O (hole LU25-32, Table 1). Spodumene-rich intersections cover an area of approximately 120 metres along strike and 60 metres across strike;

6. The lithium + cesium-enriched parts of the Lucy South pegmatite remain open up-plunge to the north-northeast, downdip to the southeast, and down-plunge to the south-southwest;

7. The Lucy South pegmatite also hosts anomalous grades of tantalum (e.g., 2.65 metres with 605 ppm Ta₂O₅ in hole LU25-39; 0.80 metres with 1,450 ppm Ta₂O₅ in hole LU25-32) and rubidium (e.g., 1.02 metres with 1.01% Rb₂O in hole LU25-25); and,

8. Spodumene- +/- pollucite-bearing LCT pegmatite is also present in the Lucy North pegmatite, which is currently interpreted as being either: (a) a structural repetition of the Lucy South pegmatite; or, (b) a separate, southeast-dipping LCT pegmatite dyke located approximately 50 metres below the Lucy South pegmatite.

Project and Cesium Overview

The Falcon West Cesium Project is one of only three known high-grade cesium exploration projects under development, globally. Cesium-rich pollucite ore can be crushed and ore sorted to a high-value pollucite concentrate, which is the principal feedstock for cesium chemical production. As such, the capital intensity of producing a high-grade cesium concentrate from near surface material could be extremely low as a conventional mill and tailings facility would not be required.

Cesium is an extremely high-value material with the current price of cesium carbonate trading for US$220,000/t¹, approximately ten times the value of lithium carbonate. Its unique properties mean it has a wide variety of industrial applications in the oil and gas, optical, medical and next-generation solar industries.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

The Company's ongoing exploration program at the Falcon West lithium property is being supervised by Dave Peck, P.Geo. Grid Metals applies best practice quality assurance and quality control ("QAQC") protocols on all of its exploration programs. For the current program, all core was logged and sampled at the Company's core facility located on its Makwa nickel property. Generally, 1.0 metre sample lengths were used. Samples were bagged and tagged and then transported by secure carrier to the Activation Laboratories facility in Ancaster, Ontario for sample preparation and analysis for lithium, cesium, rubidium, tantalum and selected major and trace element abundances using a sodium peroxide fusion total digestion method followed by ICP-OES and ICP-MS analysis. The Company is using two rare metal certified reference materials ("CRMs") and an analytical blank for the program to monitor analytical accuracy and check for cross contamination between samples. The blank and CRM results for the reported intervals were determined to fall within the accepted range of deviation from the certified values. A check assay program using a similar sodium peroxide fusion digestion method has recently been initiated with check samples being analyzed at AGAT laboratories in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Dr. Dave Peck, P.Geo., the Company's Vice President, Exploration, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this release.

¹ SMM pricing, China VAT excluded as of January 2026

About Grid Metals Corp.

Grid Metals is focused on exploration and development in southeastern Manitoba with four key projects in the region:

1. The Falcon West Property (Li-Cs) is located 110 km east of Winnipeg along the Trans-Canada highway and contains highly anomalous cesium and lithium values in LCT pegmatite including the Lucy South pegmatite dyke, the focus of Grid's current exploration efforts.

2. The Makwa Property (Ni-Cu-PGM-Co), which is subject to an Option and Joint Venture Agreement with Teck Resources Limited ("Teck"). Teck can earn up to a 70% interest in Makwa by incurring a total of CAD$17.3 million, comprising project expenditures (CAD$15.7 million) and cash payments or equity participation (CAD$1.6 million) with Grid. Makwa is located on the south arm of the Bird River Greenstone Belt.

3. The Mayville Property (Cu-Ni) is located on the north arm of the Bird River Greenstone Belt. The property is owned subject to a minority interest. The project contains a NI 43-101 compliant open pit resource of 32 million tonnes grading 0.61% CuEq.

4. The Donner Property (Li-Cs) is adjacent to the Mayville Property, and Grid owns 75% of the project. The project contains a NI 43-101 compliant resource of 6.8 million tonnes grading 1.39% Li₂O.

All of the Company's southeastern Manitoba projects are located on the ancestral lands of the Sagkeeng First Nation with whom the Company maintains an Exploration Agreement.

On Behalf of the Board of Grid Metals Corp.

For more information about the Company, please visit our website at www.gridmetalscorp.com or contact:
Robin Dunbar - President, CEO & Director - [email protected]
Brandon Smith - Chief Development Officer - [email protected]
David Black - Investor Relations - [email protected]

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

We seek safe harbour. This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and forward-looking information within the meaning of the Securities Act (Ontario) (together, "forward-looking statements"). Such forward-looking statements include the Company's intended use of proceeds and receipt of regulatory approvals, the overall economic potential of its properties, the availability of adequate financing and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to be materially different. Such factors include, among others, risks and uncertainties relating to potential political risk, uncertainty of production and capital costs estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, physical risks inherent in mining operations, metallurgical risk, currency fluctuations, fluctuations in the price of nickel, cobalt, copper and other metals, completion of economic evaluations, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, the inability or failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis, and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the most recent financial period and Material Change Reports filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available at www.sedarplus.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulations Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Appendix: Drill hole specifications. Collar coordinates are based on the NAD 83 datum and the UTM Zone 15N projection.

SOURCE: Grid Metals Corp.

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

K.Evans--SMC