Graphite One Highlights Strategic Alignment with White House Executive Order Reinforcing U.S. Critical Minerals Supply Chain

CEO: "Graphite One is not developing a single project. We are building an integrated U.S. graphite platform designed to connect America's largest known graphite resource with domestic advanced anode materials manufacturing and, ultimately, recycling."

VANCOUVER, BC, July 22, 2026 /CNW/ -- Graphite One Inc. (TSXV: GPH) (OTCQX: GPHOF) ("G1", "Graphite One" or the "Company"), developer of the Graphite Creek Project in Alaska and the only company developing a fully integrated U.S. graphite supply chain spanning mining, advanced anode materials production and planned recycling, today highlighted the significance of President Trump's July 20, 2026 Executive Order, "Securing America's Defense Supply Chains and Ensuring Domestic Acquisition of Critical Materials." (the "Executive Order").

The Executive Order expands federal efforts to strengthen domestic sourcing of critical materials essential to national defense and advanced manufacturing by reinforcing domestic procurement requirements, reducing reliance on foreign supply chains, accelerating qualification of new domestic suppliers and improving supply chain transparency. The United States remains 100% import dependent on natural graphite, one of the most strategically important critical minerals supporting defense systems, batteries, artificial intelligence infrastructure, grid-scale energy storage and advanced manufacturing.

Graphite One believes the Executive Order further reinforces the strategic importance of establishing a complete domestic graphite supply chain capable of supplying U.S. industries with secure, reliable and traceable graphite materials from mine to finished advanced graphite materials products.

"For more than a decade, Graphite One has been executing a strategy built around a simple premise--that the United States would ultimately require a secure, fully domestic graphite supply chain, said Anthony Huston, President and CEO of Graphite One. "Today's Executive Order is another important milestone supporting that long-term vision."

"Graphite One is not developing a single project. We are building an integrated U.S. graphite platform designed to connect America's largest known graphite resource with domestic advanced anode materials manufacturing and, ultimately, recycling," Mr. Huston added. "We believe that an integrated approach differentiates Graphite One and positions the Company to support America's long-term defense, energy security and advanced manufacturing objectives while creating long-term value for shareholders through disciplined execution."

Executing a Differentiated U.S. Graphite Strategy

• Graphite Creek hosts America's largest known natural graphite deposit.
• The Company's planned Ohio Advanced Anode Materials facility is intended to produce high-value battery-grade anode materials.
• G1's long-term strategy includes future graphite recycling to support a circular domestic supply chain.
• Graphite Creek continues to advance as Alaska's first Critical Minerals project under the FAST-41 federal permitting process.
• The Company continues engagement with the Department of Energy, EXIM Bank, the Department of Defense and other federal stakeholders.
• Engineering, permitting, financing and commercial initiatives continue advancing across both Alaska and Ohio.

Together, these initiatives position Graphite One to participate across multiple segments of the domestic graphite value chain rather than a single point within it, providing strategic flexibility as U.S. demand for domestically sourced graphite continues to grow.

Policy Momentum Continues to Build

The Executive Order builds upon a series of federal initiatives supporting domestic critical mineral development, including FAST-41 project designation, Defense Production Act programs, Department of Energy initiatives, Defense Logistics Agency engagement and EXIM Bank financing initiatives. Collectively, these actions reflect growing federal recognition that resilient domestic supply chains are fundamental to America's economic competitiveness and national security.

Graphite One's complete domestic supply chain strategy has received U.S. government support in the form of two Department of War grants – under Defense Production Act authority and from the Defense Logistics Agency – is listed on the Federal Fast-41 permitting dashboard, and has received two Letters of Interest for $2.07 billion in financing from the EXIM Bank. 

Looking Ahead

Graphite One continues advancing permitting, engineering, financing and commercial discussions supporting both the Graphite Creek Project and the planned Ohio Advanced Anode Materials facility. The Company believes continued alignment between federal policy and domestic critical mineral development reinforces the long-term strategic importance of its integrated U.S. graphite supply chain and looks forward to providing updates as key project milestones are achieved.

About Graphite One Inc.

GRAPHITE ONE INC. continues to develop its Graphite One Project (the "Project"), with the goal of becoming an American producer of high-grade anode materials that is integrated with a domestic graphite resource. The Project is proposed as a vertically integrated enterprise to mine and process natural graphite and to manufacture artificial and natural graphite anode active materials primarily for the lithium-ion electric vehicle battery and energy storage markets.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

"Anthony Huston" (signed)

For more information on Graphite One Inc., please visit the Company's website, www.GraphiteOneInc.com

On X @GraphiteOne

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding the potential implications of President Trump's July 20, 2026 Executive Order, the significance of the Executive Order and other U.S. government initiatives for domestic critical mineral supply chains. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "proposes", "expects", "is expected", "scheduled", "estimates", "projects", "plans", "is planning", "intends", "assumes", "believes", "indicates", "to be" or variations of such words and phrases that state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". The Company cautions that there is no assurance that the Executive Order, or any other federal policy initiatives, will result in funding opportunities, financing, procurement preferences, government contracts, accelerating permitting, regulatory approvals, commercial opportunities, or other benefits to the Company. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continuity of mineralization, uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary permits, licenses and title and delays due to third party opposition or regulatory processes (including the EIS), changes in government policies regarding mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is given as of the date it is expressed in this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable securities laws. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company's continuous disclosure filings that are available at www.sedarplus.ca.

SOURCE Graphite One Inc.

Anthony Huston, CEO, President & Director, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Investor Relations Contact: Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]