CLEANTECH LITHIUM PLC - Recent fundraise and future milestones

Cleantech Lithium PLC provided an investor update outlining its recent capital raise, strategic growth initiatives, and progress toward developing its flagship Laguna Verde lithium project in Chile. The company successfully completed an institutional fundraising and retail offer, strengthening its balance sheet, extending its funding runway beyond 12 months, and enabling key project milestones including environmental baseline studies, permitting activities, and additional Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) optimisation work. Management highlighted strong momentum in discussions with potential strategic partners, with more than a dozen parties engaged in due diligence, including major battery manufacturers, lithium producers, mining groups, and industrial companies across Asia, North America, and Europe. The company continues to target a strategic partnership by year-end to support Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) activities and project financing. Cleantech Lithium also reaffirmed plans to pursue an ASX listing in Q3 2026, citing greater liquidity, stronger investor appetite for lithium projects, and broader institutional coverage. The recently completed Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) supports annual production of 15,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent from Laguna Verde, with further drilling and resource upgrades expected to enhance project economics and potentially increase production capacity. Management remains confident in the long-term outlook for lithium demand, driven by electric vehicles, battery storage, AI infrastructure, and data centre growth. The company believes recent permitting achievements, a growing order pipeline of strategic discussions, and ongoing project de-risking position it for significant value creation as it advances toward DFS, financing, and targeted first production in 2031.