LEADING EDGE MATERIALS DRILLS NEAR-MINE TO TEST FOR A LARGER REGIONAL GRAPHITE SYSTEM AT WOXNA, SWEDEN
NEWS RELEASE September 7, 2026
LEADING EDGE MATERIALS DRILLS NEAR-MINE TO TEST FOR A LARGER REGIONAL GRAPHITE SYSTEM AT WOXNA, SWEDEN
- Drilling to test whether the Kringeltjärn, Råttjärnamyren and Svartboberget graphite occurrences at Woxna are part of one connected, regional graphite-bearing system.
- Historical drilling identified a thick graphite-bearing sequence at depth at Svartboberget, while historical data point to potential continuity toward Råttjärnamyren and Kringeltjärn.
- Positive results would provide strong justification for a larger follow-up drilling campaign and could add to the resource growth potential at Woxna, one of the few fully built and permitted natural flake graphite mines in Europe.
Vancouver, September 7, 2026 - Leading Edge Materials Corp. ("Leading Edge Materials" or the "Company") (TSXV: LEM) (Nasdaq First North: LEMSE) (OTCQB: LEMIF) (FRA: 7FL) is pleased to announce that it will commence a first-pass diamond drilling programme on September 8, 2026 at its 100%-owned Woxna Graphite Project in Sweden. The programme has been designed to test whether the Kringeltjärn, Råttjärnamyren and Svartboberget graphite occurrences represent parts of the same, larger regional graphite-bearing system.
Woxna already hosts one of the few fully built and permitted natural flake graphite mines in Europe, centred on the Kringelgruvan open pit and processing plant. The new drilling programme, which consists of five holes, looks beyond the existing mine, testing the idea that three separate graphite occurrences in the wider Woxna area – Kringeltjärn’s eastern extension, Råttjärnamyren (to the north-west) and Svartboberget - are not isolated pockets of mineralisation, but different parts of the same, larger graphite-bearing system.
The hypothesis is supported by two independent lines of historical evidence. First, an earlier drillhole at Svartboberget intersected a thick sequence of graphite-bearing rock at depth. Second, historical geophysical survey data, collected using the Slingram (induction coil) electromagnetic method in the 1980s and 1990s, together with reinterpreted airborne geophysical data highlight several conductive targets within the Svartboberget, Råttjärnamyren and Kringeltjärn areas.
The geophysical data points to the continuation of a conductive trend from Råttjärnamyren towards Svartboberget. Slingram data also define conductive targets that may indicate shallow graphitic mineralization and potential bedrock exposure, between Svartboberget and the know mineralization at Kringeltjärn. Graphite is highly conductive, so these "conductive anomalies" are considered priority targets, as they may indicate the presence of graphite-bearing rock at shallower depth that have not yet been drill-tested.
Why Graphite, and Why Woxna
Structural drivers behind the graphite market remain strong. According to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, global demand for natural flake graphite is forecast to rise from around 1.3 million tonnes in 2026 to approximately 2.7 million tonnes by 2036, more than doubling within a decade and outpacing demand growth for almost every other major battery raw material other than lithium. China continues to dominate the supply chain, accounting for roughly 70% of global natural graphite mine production, more than 80% of the world's spherical graphite processing capacity, and over 90% of global anode manufacturing capacity.
China's Announcement No. 72 (9 Nov 2025) suspended the graphite dual-use export controls, introduced in December 2024 and affecting the US; the suspension expires on 27 November 2026. The suspension eased near-term trade tensions but has done little to change the underlying, structural reliance on Chinese supply that continues to concern battery makers, automakers and governments across Europe and North America.
Against this backdrop, the European Union has set a target under the Critical Raw Materials Act of sourcing at least 10% of its strategic raw material consumption domestically by 2030. The exploration programme announced today also comes as the Swedish Government's newly published Mineral Strategy places critical raw materials and mining at the centre of the country's industrial and national security policy, reinforcing a supportive backdrop for the resurgence of projects such as Woxna.
Private Placement
The Company also announces that further to its news releases dated July 12, 2026, and August 18, 2026, the launch of its non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") and first tranche closing, the Company has received approval from the TSX Venture Exchange to extend the closing of the Private Placement.
The Company now expects to close the Private Placement on or before September 25, 2026, subject to the receipt of all required regulatory approvals. The terms of the Private Placement remain unchanged from those previously announced.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds to advance the Company's projects in Sweden and Romania, as well as for general working capital and corporate purposes. In particular, following the recent award of a 25-year mining lease for the Norra Kärr Heavy Rare Earth Elements Project, proceeds will support
Pre-Feasibility Study workstreams and environmental permitting for that project, alongside studies related to a possible restart of the Woxna Graphite mine and processing plant. The Company continues to seek alternative capital for its Romanian exploration activities.
Kurt Budge, Chief Executive Officer of Leading Edge Materials, commented:
"Woxna is one of the few fully built and permitted natural flake graphite mines in Europe, and this drilling programme is a straightforward, low-cost way to test whether we are sitting on a larger, connected graphite system. The historical intersection at Svartboberget, combined with our reinterpretation of the geophysical data, gives us a clear and specific hypothesis to test.
If the results confirm what we expect, this could extend the resource growth potential at Woxna, at a time when Europe's need for a secure, domestic source of graphite has rarely been more pressing. This near-mine drilling programme also comes as the Swedish Government's new Mineral Strategy places critical raw materials and mining at the centre of the country's industrial and national security policy, reinforcing the supportive backdrop for advancing projects such as Woxna. We look forward to reporting results once the drilling program is completed in the coming months.”
Qualified Person Statement
The technical information related to the Woxna Graphite project in this announcement has been reviewed and verified by Mr. Henning Holmström MAIG MAusIMM MFAMMP, a Swedish mining engineer, M.Sc. in Geotechnology and Ph.D. in Applied Geology from Luleå University of Technology, an independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Holmström is an employee of Geosyntec Consultants which provides technical consulting services in relation to the Company’s Woxna Graphite project
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Leading Edge Materials Corp.
Kurt Budge, CEO
For further information, please contact the Company at:
info@leadingedgematerials.com
www.leadingedgematerials.com
Corporate Head Office (Vancouver, Canada): 778-686-5357
About Leading Edge Materials
Leading Edge Materials Corp. is a Canadian-listed company focused on developing critical raw material assets across the European Union. Its primary focus is the wholly owned Norra Kärr Heavy Rare Earth Element project in Sweden — one of the world's most strategically significant heavy rare earth deposits and among the few advanced-stage projects within the EU capable of producing dysprosium, terbium, and yttrium at meaningful scale.
Situated in one of the globe's most politically and regulatory stable mining environments, Norra Kärr is well-positioned to contribute directly to the objectives of the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act, including the bloc's target of sourcing 10% of its critical raw material consumption domestically by 2030. Beyond rare earths, the Company also holds the Woxna Graphite mine in Sweden — a fully constructed and permitted facility — as well as a 90% stake in the Bihor Sud Nickel-Cobalt exploration alliance in Romania.
Additional Information
The information was submitted for publication through the agency of the contact person set out above, on September 7, 2026, at 23:30 Vancouver time.
Leading Edge Materials is listed on the TSXV under the symbol “LEM”, OTCQB under the symbol “LEMIF” and Nasdaq First North Stockholm under the symbol “LEMSE”. Svensk Kapitalmarknadsgranskning (“SKMG”) is the Company’s Certified Adviser for the Nasdaq First North Growth Market (Stockholm) and may be contacted via email ca@skmg.se or by phone +46 (0)8 913 008.
Reader Advisory
This news release may contain statements which constitute “forward-looking information”, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company, its directors, or its officers with respect to the future business activities of the Company. The words “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “intend”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future business activities and involve risks and uncertainties, and that the Company’s future business activities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in market prices, changes in the Company’s intended use of proceeds from the Private Placement, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
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