Aventis Energy Highlights Uranium Fertile System at the Corvo Uranium Project
Highlights
- Uranium-Fertile System: Analytical results from the Company’s first-ever drill campaign at Corvo confirmed anomalous* uranium in all nine (9) completed drill holes. Results returned a total of fifty-five (55) metres of weakly anomalous uranium (>10 ppm U, partial), including twenty-three (23) metres of moderately anomalous uranium (>50 ppm U, partial), and including thirteen (13) metres of highly anomalous uranium (>100 ppm U, partial; Figure 2).1
- Elevated Pathfinder Elements: Moderately to highly anomalous quantities of uranium pathfinder elements including V, Co, Cu, and Ni are consistently associated with elevated uranium across all drill holes.
- Key Geochemistry Fingerprints: Geochemical ratios including U:Th and lead (Pb) isotope ratios have been calculated, and relationships suggest that the source material was distinctly rich in 238U (and by association 235U) relative to thorium, consistent with the geochemistry of known Athabasca uranium deposits. Extremely anomalous 206Pb/204Pb ratios >1,000 are highlighted across multiple uranium-bearing intervals.
- Structural Continuity & Alteration: Geological and geochemical modeling of the 2026 drilling results have defined a series of stacked graphitic faults and high-strain zones associated with hydrothermal alteration and key geochemical signatures favourable for uranium mineralization across all three (3) tested target areas.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aventis Energy Inc. (“Aventis” or the “Company”) (CSE: AVE | FRA: C0O0 | OTC: VBAMF) is pleased to provide additional highlights and interpretations of geological and geochemical assay results from its winter 2026 drill program (the “Program”) at the Corvo Uranium Project (“Corvo”, or the “Project”) located near Wollaston Lake in northeastern Saskatchewan (Please see Figure 1). The 2026 drilling results highlight the prospectivity of the Project for significant basement-hosted uranium mineralization.
Michael Mulberry, Chief Executive Officer & Director of Aventis, commented, “The inaugural drill program at Corvo has significantly advanced our understanding of the Project’s scale and exploration potential. Integrating drill results with geological and geochemical data has identified uranium-enriched rock packages, prospective structures and hydrothermal alteration across the system. Assay analysis has also revealed highly anomalous pathfinder elements and favourable isotope signatures associated with basement-hosted uranium deposits. These results provide a strong framework for future targeting and reinforce the discovery potential at Corvo as we advance exploration alongside Standard Uranium.”
Figure 1. Regional overview of the Corvo Project in the eastern Athabasca Basin region.
The Project is currently under a three-year earn-in option agreement (the “Option Agreement”) with Standard Uranium Ltd. (CSE: STND) (“Standard”). A total of 2,457 metres were completed across ten (10) reconnaissance drill holes at the Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Tribeca target areas (Please see Figure 2). One (1) drill hole was abandoned due to ground conditions. The winter 2026 drill Program was funded by Aventis and operated by Standard.
Figure 2. Corvo Project overview highlighting drill holes with intervals of highly anomalous uranium >100 ppm U across high-priority target areas drilled during the winter 2026 Program.
Corvo 2026 Drill Program Results
The winter 2026 drill Program was highly successful in uncovering a uranium-fertile system at Corvo along multi-kilometre long structural trends. The drill results highlight tens of metres of anomalous* uranium and other pathfinder elements indicative of a basement-hosted uranium system across multiple target areas.
Key context and takeaways of the 2026 drilling results:
- Partial-digestion results & U:Th Ratios: Partial-digestions uranium assays inherently emphasize hydrothermal uranium input while reducing the contribution from resistant accessory minerals. During early-stage targeting, interpreting partial digestion assays and U:Th ratios can be used as an exploration vector and improve discrimination between fertile lithologies and genuinely mineralized systems – in general, the higher the ratio, the better for hydrothermal U systems. The Corvo uranium results returned U:Th ratios averaging 1.5 to 5, and locally as high as 12 to 21.
- Pb Isotope Ratios: Lead isotope ratios are often used to assist in identifying anomalous rock samples related to the radioactive decay of uranium and can outline trends or a “footprint” corresponding to the location of uranium mineralization. 206Pb and 207Pb are products of the radioactive decay of 238U and 235U, respectively, and 208Pb is a product of the radioactive decay of 232Th. 204Pb is non-radiogenic and acts as a measure of background lead content. Calculating the 206Pb/204Pb ratio is a key indicator to the influence of uranium decay in mineralized systems, with values >100 being considered highly anomalous. The 206Pb/204Pb ratio results from 405 Corvo samples averages 147, with 27 samples >400 and a maximum of 5,100.
- Scale of Structure & Alteration: Inaugural drilling intersected key characteristics of a multi-kilometre uranium-bearing mineralized system across the Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Tribeca target areas. Drilling confirmed the presence of significant fault systems linked to uranium enrichment and prospective hydrothermal alteration in the basement rock (Please see Figures 3-5).
Overall, the 2026 drill Program results have confirmed that Corvo boasts key geological and geochemical hallmarks of a fertile uranium system, and the results have increased the Company’s confidence in the prospectivity of the Project.
Targets were selected and prioritized through an iterative approach working in collaboration with Convolutions Geoscience Corporation, targeting compelling geophysical signatures and favorable geological/structural settings. Prospecting and mapping across the Project in 2025 outlined multiple mineralized outcrops and boulders, including the Manhattan showing which returned results up to 8.10% U3O8 at surface.2 These surface showings paired with the results of the Company’s first drill campaign on the Project build a compelling basis for continued exploration.
*In crystalline basement rocks, the Company considers concentrations of uranium >10 ppm U to be “weakly anomalous”, concentrations >50 ppm U to be “moderately anomalous” and concentrations >100 ppm U to be “highly anomalous”. Intervals represent drilled core lengths; True thicknesses of mineralized zones cannot be determined with certainty at this stage of exploration.
Figure 3. Schematic cross-section of drill holes CRV-26-003 and CRV-26-004 highlighting anomalous uranium intersections >20 U ppm and associated structure, graphite, and hydrothermal clay alteration. Total Field magnetics are shown in the background of the plan view insert.
Figure 4. Drill core photos from CRV-26-003 highlighting anomalous uranium associated with hydrothermal alteration and structure. Geochemical assay of a fractured and hematized zone returned 64.4 ppm partial uranium over 0.5 m from 70.5 to 71.0 m. From 76.0 to 76.5 m, semi-pelitic gneiss with local pegmatite intrusion returned 76.2 ppm partial uranium (0.008 wt.% U308) over 0.5 m.
Figure 5. Schematic cross-section of drill hole CRV-26-008 highlighting anomalous uranium intersections >20 U ppm and associated structure, graphite, and hydrothermal clay alteration. Total Field magnetics are shown in the background of the plan view insert.
Figure 6. Drill core photos from CRV-26-008 highlighting anomalous uranium associated with hydrothermal alteration and structure. Graphitic brittle reactivated fault zone within pelitic gneiss characterized by strong to locally intense graphitic gouge hosts 21.2 ppm partial uranium over 1.0 m from 101.5 to 102.5 m. Below, geochemical assays returned 0.003 wt.% U3O8 (36.1 ppm, partial) over 0.5 m from 105.0 to 105.5 m and 0.024 wt.% U3O8 (201.0 ppm, partial) over 0.5 m from 105.5 to 106.0 m associated with hematized pelitic gneiss.
Figure 7. Schematic cross-section of drill hole CRV-26-009 highlighting anomalous uranium intersections >20 U ppm (centre of trace) and U3O8 values ranging from 0.002 wt.% to 0.04 wt.% (right of trace), and associated structure, graphite, and hydrothermal clay alteration. Historical holes T79-2, T79-3, and T-80-7 are projected to section highlighting U3O8 values ranging from 0.002 wt.% to 0.116 wt.% (left of trace). Total Field magnetics are shown in the background of the plan view insert.
Figure 8. Drill core photos from CRV-29-009 highlighting anomalous uranium values associated with hydrothermal alteration and structure. Assays returned uranium values of 0.0005 wt.% to 0.018 wt.% U3O8 (10.1 to 192.0 U ppm, partial) over 3.0 m between 6.5 to 10.0 m; values ranging from 0.0005 up to 0.019 wt.% U3O8 (11.1 up to 171.0 U ppm, partial) over 4.5 m from 16.5 to 21.0 m; and values of 0.001 wt.% up to 0.035 wt.% U3O8 (27.0 ppm and 300 U ppm, partial) over 1.5 m from 27.5 to 29.0 m.
Next Steps & Follow Up
The Company is currently planning additional surface exploration and geophysical work to be completed in the coming months. A second phase drilling program is being planned for 2027 to follow-up along strike of mineralized drill holes and continue testing of priority drill targets across the Project.
The Company believes the Project is highly prospective for the discovery of shallow, high-grade** basement-hosted uranium mineralization akin to the Rabbit Lake deposit. Located just outside the current margin of the Athabasca Basin, Corvo boasts more than twenty-nine (29) km of structural corridors with multiple untested drill targets with minimal cover of glacial till.
This first pass drill Program marks the first drilling on the Project in more than forty (40) years, and the results confirm uranium fertility across multiple target areas. Standard and Aventis will incorporate the results of the 2026 Program into the exploration strategy at Corvo for follow-up exploration programs targeting basement hosted uranium mineralization.
Qualified Person Statement
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Sean Hillacre, P.Geo., President and VP Exploration of Standard Uranium Ltd. and a “qualified person” as defined in NI 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
Samples collected for analysis were sent to SRC Geoanalytical Laboratories in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for preparation, processing, and ICP-MS multi-element analysis using total and partial digestion and boron by fusion. Basement samples were tested with ICP-MS2 uranium multi-element exploration package plus boron. All sandstone samples, and basement samples marked as radioactive upon arrival to the lab were also analyzed using the U3O8 assay (reported in wt.%). Basement rock split interval samples range from 0.1 to 1.0 m. SRC is an ISO/IEC 17025/2005 and Standards Council of Canada certified analytical laboratory. Blanks, standard reference materials, and repeats were inserted into the sample stream at regular intervals in accordance with Standard’s quality assurance/quality control (“QA/QC”) protocols. All samples passed internal QA/QC protocols and the results presented in this release are deemed complete, reliable, and repeatable.
Samples containing clay alteration were sent to Rekasa Rocks Inc. in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to be analyzed by Short Wavelength Infrared Reflectance (“SWIR”) via a Portable Infrared Mineral Analyzer (“PIMA”) to verify clay species.
REE oxide conversion factors3 were verified using the following formulas:
Convert REE (Rare Earth Element) ppm to REO (Rare Earth Oxide): REO % = (ppm / Atomic Weight of REE) * (Molecular Weight of REO / 10,000). Element-to-oxide conversion factor: Molecular weight of the oxide / atomic weight of the element. For oxides with more than one metal cation, account for the number of cations in the formula. Please see Appendix A and Table 2 for individual REE assay results.
Historical data disclosed in this news release relating to sampling results from previous operators are historical in nature. Neither the Company nor a qualified person has yet verified this data and therefore investors should not place undue reliance on such data. The Company’s future exploration work may include verification of the data. The Company considers historical results to be relevant as an exploration guide and to assess the mineralization as well as economic potential of exploration projects. Any historical grab samples disclosed are selected samples and may not represent true underlying mineralization.
Natural gamma radiation from rocks reported in this news release was measured in counts per second (“cps”) using a handheld RS-125 super-spectrometer and RS-120 super-scintillometer. Readers are cautioned that scintillometer readings are not uniformly or directly related to uranium grades of the rock sample measured and should be treated only as a preliminary indication of the presence of radioactive minerals. Because the orientation of mineralization is unknown, true widths are unknown and reported intervals represent core lengths. The RS-125 and RS-120 units supplied by Radiation Solutions Inc. (“RSI”) have been calibrated on specially designed Test Pads by RSI. Standard maintains an internal QA/QC procedure for calibration and calculation of drift in radioactivity readings through three test pads containing known concentrations of radioactive minerals. Internal test pad radioactivity readings are known and regularly compared to readings measured by the handheld scintillometers for QA/QC purposes.
References
1 News Release: Aventis Energy Confirms Uranium Enrichment in all Winter 2026 Drill Holes at the Corvo Uranium Project, https://aventisenergy.com/aventis-energy-confirms-uranium-enrichment-in-all-winter-2026-drill-holes-at-the-corvo-uranium-project/
1 News Release: Aventis Energy Confirms High-Grade Uranium Mineralization up to 8.10% U 3 O 8 at Surface on the Corvo Project, https://aventisenergy.com/aventis-energy-confirms-high-grade-uranium-mineralization-up-to-8-10-u3o8-at-surface-on-the-corvo-project/
2 James Cook University Advanced Analytical Centre. Element to Stoichiometric Oxide Conversion Factor, https://www.jcu.edu.au/advanced-analytical-centre/resources/element-to-stoichiometric-oxide-conversion-factors
**The Company considers uranium mineralization with concentrations greater than 1.0 wt.% U3O8 to be “high-grade”.
About Aventis Energy Inc.
Aventis Energy Inc. (CSE: AVE | FRA: C0O0 | OTC: VBAMF) is a mineral exploration company dedicated to the development of strategic projects comprised of battery, base and precious metals in stable jurisdictions. The Company is working to advance its Corvo Uranium & Sting Copper Project.
The Corvo Uranium property has historical drill holes intersected multiple intervals of uranium mineralization, notably along a strike length of 800 metres between historical drill holes TL-79-3 (0.116% U3O8 over 1.05 m) and TL-79-5 (0.065% U3O8 over 0.15 m)2. High-grade* Uranium at Surface with the Manhattan showing (with outcrop samples grab samples returning up to 8.10% U3O8) and SMDI showing 2052 (0.137% U3O8 and 2,300 ppm Th).
The Sting Copper Project covers approximately 3,700 hectares and recently had results of 54.8m at 0.32% Cu starting at a depth of 27.0m, with higher-grade intervals including six samples (≥0.5m length) ranging from 0.96% to 5.43% Cu. High grade samples of 0.5m at 2.85% Cu and 0.5m at 1.92% Cu with an additional broader interval of 31.1m at 0.27% Cu.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Michael Mulberry
Chief Executive Officer, Director
+1 (604) 229-9772
info@vitalbatterymetals.com
Appendix A – REE Assay Results
Table 2. Winter 2026 Corvo individual REE assay results from drill hole CRV-26-009. Intervals represent drilled core lengths; True thicknesses cannot be determined with certainty at this stage of exploration.
| DDH | Target Area | From (m) | To (m) | Width (m) | Ce (ppm) | Dy (ppm) | Eu (ppm) | Gd (ppm) | Ho (ppm) | La (ppm) | Lu (ppm) | Nd (ppm) | Pr (ppm) | Sm (ppm) | Tb (ppm) | Tm (ppm) | Y (ppm) | Yb (ppm) |
| CRV-26-009 | Tribeca | 7.5 | 8.0 | 0.5 | 494 | 9.97 | 4.57 | 0.98 | 17.5 | 1.91 | 230 | 0.57 | 205 | 61.5 | 31.3 | 2.24 | 0.58 | 48.2 |
| 8.0 | 8.5 | 0.5 | 733 | 20.2 | 8.34 | 1.11 | 42 | 3.98 | 351 | 0.81 | 306 | 88 | 52.3 | 3.54 | 1.28 | 110 | ||
| 8.5 | 9.0 | 0.5 | 1,230 | 31.8 | 12.7 | 0.93 | 59.8 | 6.03 | 531 | 1.34 | 491 | 146 | 84.1 | 5.51 | 2.01 | 163 | ||
| 9.5 | 10.0 | 0.5 | 968 | 16.7 | 7.25 | 0.8 | 27.3 | 3.19 | 442 | 1.16 | 363 | 110 | 53.3 | 4.07 | 0.89 | 68.4 | ||
| 159.0 | 159.5 | 0.5 | 1,120 | 18 | 7.24 | 0.78 | 31.1 | 3.26 | 485 | 0.97 | 388 | 126 | 58.6 | 3.38 | 1.22 | 87.1 | ||
| 169.5 | 170.0 | 0.5 | 544 | 12.2 | 6.11 | 1.58 | 15 | 2.28 | 276 | 0.67 | 190 | 56.9 | 29.4 | 2.5 | 1.06 | 60.9 |
Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information
This news release includes certain “Forward-Looking Statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and “forward-looking information” under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, expect”, “target”, “plan”, “forecast”, “may”, “would”, “could”, “schedule” and similar words or expressions, identify forward-looking statements or information.
Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of Aventis, future growth potential for Aventis and its business, and future exploration plans are based on management’s reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management’s experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of uranium, copper, gold and other metals; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; Aventis’ ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms.
This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of the Canadian securities laws. Statements, other than statements of historical fact, may constitute forward looking information and include, without limitation, statements with respect to the Project and its mineralization potential; the Company’s objectives, goals, or future plans with respect to the Project; further exploration work on the Project in the future; and the expected benefits of completing the Program. With respect to the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made numerous assumptions regarding, among other things, the geological, metallurgical, engineering, financial and economic advice that the Company has received is reliable and are based upon practices and methodologies which are consistent with industry standards. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. Known risk factors include, among others: fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of well results and the geology, continuity and grade of uranium, copper, gold and other metal deposits; uncertainty of estimates of capital and operating costs, recovery rates, production estimates and estimated economic return; the need for cooperation of government agencies in the exploration and development of properties and the issuance of required permits; the need to obtain additional financing to develop properties and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs or in construction projects and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals; increased costs and restrictions on operations due to compliance with environmental and other requirements; increased costs affecting the metals industry and increased competition in the metals industry for properties, qualified personnel, and management. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law.
The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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