Global Battery Materials Ships First Graphite Samples to U.S. Customer, Opens New Graphite Lab in Quebec

TORONTO, March 25, 2026 /CNW/ -- Global Battery Materials Corp. (GBM), a vertically integrated critical minerals and technology company delivering natural graphite products and advanced anode materials, today announced the opening of the GBM Graphite Lab in Quebec and the completion of the company's first shipments of graphite product samples from its Kearney Mine in Ontario for qualification by U.S.-based customers. This milestone demonstrates the company's ability to deliver a secure graphite supply to support the growing North American battery supply chain.

Quebec Lab Press Release

The GBM Graphite Lab is fully equipped to analyze, purify, and upgrade natural graphite from low-grade raw ore to battery-grade final concentrate, demonstrating purification levels up to 97 percent carbon content through production representative processing at lab scale. Operations include running complete simulations of graphite plant processes while maintaining the highest quality standards in accordance with ISO 9001 certification guidelines. The lab is producing batches of purified graphite concentrate for customer qualification, serving companies seeking a secure, North American-origin graphite supply. Strategically located in Quebec, the facility draws on the province's highly specialized advanced materials workforce and positions GBM at the center of the continent's emerging battery supply chain.

"North America has very limited capacity to process critical minerals like graphite, and this announcement marks an important step in urgently closing this gap," said Eric Miller, Chief Executive Officer at GBM. "We're excited to expand our Canadian footprint beyond the Kearney Mine, a strong example of Canada's vast reserves of critical minerals, as we work to build a secure supply chain that eliminates the need to export resources overseas for evaluation and refinement. Our lab-scale operations in Quebec are already producing graphite samples for qualifying customers, proving our ability to move quickly and meet urgent local demand."

The GBM Graphite Lab is managed by Benoit Briere, Sr Director, Lab Services, who has nearly 30 years of experience in the natural graphite industry. His career spans technical and operational leadership roles at Imerys, historically North America's only operating natural graphite mine, and most recently the role of operations director at Nouveau Monde Graphite, where he led technical teams. Under Benoit's leadership, the lab has produced high-quality graphite samples and will expand to meet growing market demand.

This announcement follows the launch of GBM's Canadian and South Korean operations, which include the restart of the Kearney Mine in Ontario--one of North America's only previously producing natural graphite assets--and the acquisition of a mature pilot production and R&D facility in South Korea that's producing premium anode battery material. The addition of the Graphite Lab in Quebec complements technical capabilities and further situates GBM as a vertically integrated critical materials and technology company with proven, scalable infrastructure. The company plans to continue to expand operations with a target mass anode production site in North America.

About Global Battery Materials Corp.
Global Battery Materials Corp. (GBM) is a vertically integrated critical minerals and technology company delivering an ex-China battery supply chain from natural graphite products to active anode materials. The company's platform combines a prior-producing mine in Canada with patented anode processing technology, validated at a pilot plant in South Korea and built for scale, establishing North America's fastest path to end-to-end critical material resiliency. Led by a management team with deep expertise in mining operations, battery science, and automotive supply, and backed by the Canadian government and a proprietary patent portfolio, GBM serves the defense, energy, industrial, and electric vehicle battery markets at the core of global supply chain security. Learn more at www.globalbatterymaterials.com.

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Global Battery Materials Corp.

SOURCE Global Battery Materials