Century Lithium's Angel Island Mine Plan of Operations Deemed Complete by Blm, Advancing Project Toward Environmental Review

Century Lithium's Angel Island project advances to NEPA review, with a decision years away.

What the company is saying

Century Lithium Corp. announces that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has deemed its Mine Plan of Operations and Nevada Reclamation Permit Application for the 100%-owned Angel Island Lithium Project in Nevada complete as of November 3, 2026. The company frames this as a major regulatory milestone, emphasizing that the project is now ready to enter the environmental review phase under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). President and CEO Bill Willoughby is quoted highlighting the importance of this step and the company's focus on finishing baseline studies, working closely with the BLM and a third-party NEPA contractor. The announcement stresses Angel Island's status as a Transparency Project under the FAST-41 federal permitting program, with the BLM as lead agency, and references the project's design for integrated, on-site battery-grade lithium carbonate production and sodium hydroxide co-product. The tone is confident and forward-looking, but operational and economic specifics are not disclosed. The company signals ongoing updates as the permitting process continues.

What the data suggests

The only realised milestone is the BLM's formal completeness determination for the Mine Plan of Operations and Reclamation Permit Application, confirmed by a letter dated November 3, 2026. Angel Island is 100% owned by Century Lithium and is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada. The project is now eligible to proceed to NEPA environmental review, but all remaining baseline studies, including those for the water supply pipeline, are still pending. The BLM will next determine the appropriate level of NEPA review—either an Environmental Assessment or a full Environmental Impact Statement—after accepting all baseline reports. The Permitting Dashboard lists February 4, 2028, as the target date for the Record of Decision, meaning the earliest possible federal approval is more than a year away. No resource figures, technical data, or economic metrics are disclosed to substantiate claims of scale or process innovation. The announcement provides no financial, operational, or production guidance. All statements about process advantages, co-product sales, or environmental benefits are forward-looking and lack supporting data.

Analysis

The announcement is positive in tone, highlighting the BLM's determination that the Mine Plan of Operations is complete, which is a real and specific permitting milestone. However, the majority of the claims about project benefits—such as integrated production of battery-grade lithium carbonate, co-product sodium hydroxide sales, and cost/environmental advantages—are forward-looking and not yet realised. The only concrete, realised progress is regulatory: the project is now eligible to enter NEPA review, with the next major decision (Record of Decision) not expected until February 2028, over a year from today's date. The announcement references a large, capital-intensive project design but provides no financial, technical, or operational metrics to support claims of scale or process innovation. The language around project scale ('one of the largest known sedimentary lithium deposits') and process benefits is not substantiated with data. Overall, the narrative is somewhat inflated relative to the actual, incremental permitting progress disclosed.

Risk flags

• ●Permitting and regulatory risk is high, as the Angel Island project must still complete all baseline environmental studies and undergo NEPA review, which can trigger delays or additional requirements. The process is subject to public scoping and revision before any approval.
• ●Timeline risk is significant, with the Record of Decision not expected until at least February 2028. Any slippage in baseline study completion, NEPA review, or public consultation could push this date further out, delaying potential project development.
• ●Execution risk is present due to the project's capital-intensive, integrated design and reliance on unproven, patent-pending processing technology. No technical or economic data are disclosed to support claims of process efficiency or co-product sales, making commercial viability uncertain at this stage.

Bottom line

This announcement confirms Century Lithium's Angel Island project has cleared a key permitting hurdle, with the BLM accepting its Mine Plan as complete and allowing entry into the NEPA environmental review phase. While this is a necessary step for eventual development, the project remains at least 15 months from a federal Record of Decision, with all major baseline studies and environmental analysis still ahead. The company's narrative is optimistic and highlights process innovation and co-product benefits, but provides no supporting technical, economic, or resource data. Investors should treat all operational and financial upside as speculative until further disclosures are made. The most important takeaway is that Angel Island is advancing through permitting, but all value is long-dated and subject to substantial regulatory and execution risks.

Announcement summary

(TSXV:LCE) (OTCQX:CYDVF) (Frankfurt:C1Z) Century Lithium Corp. announced that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Battle Mountain District, Tonopah Field Office, has reviewed and determined the Mine Plan of Operations and Nevada Reclamation Permit Application (PoO or Plan) for the company's 100%-owned Angel Island Lithium Project in Esmeralda County, Nevada, USA, to be complete. This determination advances the Angel Island Project toward environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Bill Willoughby, President and CEO of Century Lithium, stated that the BLM's completeness determination is an important milestone for Angel Island and confirms the project is ready to move into the environmental review phase. The BLM notified Century Lithium in a letter dated November 3, 2026, that the Plan is complete under 43 CFR § 3809.411. The Plan defines the components of the project and will serve as the basis for the BLM's environmental review and analysis pursuant to NEPA. Upon completion of the NEPA analyses and the public scoping process, the PoO will be revised as necessary, after which the BLM can officially approve the PoO. Completion of the remaining baseline studies related to the proposed water supply pipeline route is pending. The BLM will issue a letter documenting completion and acceptance of all required baseline studies and reports and will determine the appropriate level of NEPA review for the project, either an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement. Now that the PoO has been deemed complete, the third-party NEPA contractor will begin preparation of the Supplemental Information Report (SIR) and the Supplemental Environmental Reports (SERs) to support the NEPA document, followed by the environmental analysis of the project. Angel Island is a Transparency Project under the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council's FAST-41 program, with the BLM serving as lead agency. The Permitting Dashboard for Federal Infrastructure Projects currently shows a target date of February 4, 2028, for issuance of the Record of Decision for the project. The company will provide updates as key milestones are reached. Angel Island hosts one of the largest known sedimentary lithium deposits in the United States and is designed with an integrated, end-to-end process for the on-site production of battery-grade lithium carbonate. The company has developed a patent-pending process that incorporates hydrochloric acid leaching combined with direct lithium extraction to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate. As part of the integrated chlor-alkali process, Angel Island is designed to produce sodium hydroxide as a co-product, with planned surplus sales expected to lower operating costs, reduce reliance on externally sourced reagents, and minimize environmental impacts. Century Lithium is currently advancing Angel Island through the permitting process.

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