5E Advanced Materials welcomes the US designation of boron as a critical mineral, strengthening the Fort Cady project

The addition of boron to the 2025 U.S. Critical Minerals List strengthens 5E's role as America's next advanced domestic boron supplier

HESPERIA, CA / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / 5E Advanced Materials, Inc. (“5E” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ:FEAM)(ASX:5EA), a U.S. development-stage company focused on becoming a vertically integrated global leader and supplier of refined borates and advanced borate derivative materials, today announced that the United States Department of the Interior has released the final 2025 Critical Minerals List and has officially added boron as a critical mineral to the U.S. economy and national security.

The list compiled by the US Geological Survey (USGS), which will appear in the Federal Register on November 7, 2025, identifies 60 minerals considered essential to national security, economic growth and supply chain stability. The inclusion of boron highlights its prominent role in energy technologies, advanced materials, defense systems and critical infrastructure.

“The addition of boron to the U.S. list of critical minerals marks a critical milestone for 5E and the country’s supply chain,” said Paul Weibel, chief executive officer of 5E Advanced Materials. “Our Fort Cady project is uniquely positioned to advance domestic production of boron, an essential input for energy technologies, defense and high-performance manufacturing. This recognition confirms the strategic importance of boron and reinforces our goal of establishing 5E as a trusted U.S. supplier to fast-growing, high-growth markets.”

Federal recognition of boron as a critical mineral creates important strategic advantages for 5E Advanced Materials and its Fort Cady operations in Southern California:

• Strategic US asset: As one of the few advanced-stage boron projects in the United States, 5E's Fort Cady operation directly aligns with federal goals of strengthening domestic supply chains for critical minerals and reducing dependence on foreign sources.

• Access to the federal program: The addition of boron to the U.S. Critical Minerals List for 2025 increases 5E's eligibility to participate in U.S. Government grant programs, including programs administered by the U.S. Department of War's Office of Strategic Capital and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, that support the development, processing and refining of critical minerals. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 authorized $5 billion for investments in critical minerals supply chains made under the Industrial Base Fund and up to $100 billion in capital amounts for direct loans and guaranteed loans for critical minerals and related industries and projects. 5E currently has a $285 million expression of interest for a potential project financing debt guarantee from the U.S. Export-Import Bank as part of the Make More in America initiative.

• Investment and market positioning: The award strengthens 5E's position as a strategic partner in energy, defense and advanced manufacturing, markets where boron's unique chemical and thermal properties play an essential role in next-generation technologies.

• Alignment with US policy priorities: The addition of boron underscores the growing recognition of its importance to national defense, advanced materials innovation, energy independence and the high-tech sectors, areas directly linked to 5E's mission and development strategy.

Taken together, these factors strengthen 5E's position within the U.S. critical materials landscape and underscore its contributions to building safe, resilient and sustainable mineral supply chains that support national priorities.

Pursuant to the Energy Act of 2020, the USGS updates the list of critical minerals at least every three years. The 2025 review used improved modeling of over 1,200 supply disruption scenarios for 84 commodities and 402 industries, leading the Home Secretary to confirm the inclusion of boron alongside copper, nickel, lithium, uranium, phosphate and metallurgical coal.

The full text of the notice, “Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals,” is available on the Federal Register website under docket number 2025-19813 and at www.regulations.gov under docket number USGS-2025-0039.

About 5E Advanced Materials, Inc.
5E Advanced Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:FEAM) (ASX:5EA) is focused on becoming a vertically integrated global leader and supplier of refined borates and advanced boron materials, complemented by calcium-based by-products and potentially other by-products such as lithium carbonate. The company's mission is to become a supplier of these critical materials to industries addressing global decarbonization, energy independence, nutrition, national security and the defense sector. The company expects that factors such as government regulation and incentives focused on domestic production and supply chains as well as capital investments across various industries will drive demand for end-use applications such as solar and wind energy infrastructure, neodymium-ferroboron magnets, defense applications, lithium-ion batteries and other critical materials applications. The deal is based on the Company's large domestic boron deposits, located in Southern California, designated as critical infrastructure by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and following boron's addition to the U.S. government's 2025 list of critical minerals.

Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release may contain “forward-looking statements” that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by, but are not limited to, the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions statements regarding its development plans, production capabilities, commercialization strategy, offtake negotiations, customer qualification processes, market demand for boron and lithium, the potential applications of its products in the energy, defense and industrial markets, and the ability to access and secure government financing. All forward-looking statements are based on 5E's current expectations, forecasts and assumptions and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's development plans, its production capabilities, its commercialization strategy, offtake discussions, customer qualification processes, market demand for boron and lithium and potential applications of its products in the energy, defense and industrial markets, as well as its ability to access and secure government financing. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties and other important factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the “Risk Factors” section in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are based on information available to 5E as of the date hereof and speak only as of the date hereof. 5E undertakes no obligation to update this information except as required by applicable law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as reflecting the views of 5E as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. In light of the foregoing, investors are urged not to rely on any forward-looking statements to reach conclusions or make investment decisions with respect to 5E securities.

For further information please contact:
Michael MacMillan or Paola Ashton
PRA communication
team@pracommunications.com
Tel: +1 (604) 681-1407

SOURCE: 5E Advanced Materials, Inc.

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