Metallurgical Testwork at Pomme REE Project

New Frontier Minerals Limited

09 June 2026

 

New Frontier Minerals Limited / Index: ASX & LSE / Epic: NFM / Sector: Industrial Metals and Mining

9 June 2026

New Frontier Minerals Limited

("NFM" or the "Company")

NFM to Commence Metallurgical Testwork to Unlock Value at the Pomme REE Project

New Frontier Minerals Ltd (LSE and ASX: NFM) is pleased to announce that it will commence characterisation and metallurgical studies at the Pomme REE Project, which is located approximately 500 km northwest of Montréal in Québec. Initial activities will focus on conventional metallurgical testwork, followed by Metallium Limited's proprietary Flash Joule Heating (FJH) testwork on existing drill samples to assess the potential to upgrade REE mineralisation. This testing will target the mid-to-high-grade zones of REE mineralisation identified during previous scout drilling.

Highlights:

·    Metallurgical testwork aims to establish a pathway to produce higher-grade REE concentrates and could represent a key catalyst in unlocking the economic potential of the Pomme Project

·    Initial activities will target conventional metallurgical testwork followed up with Flash Joule Heating (FJH) testwork on existing drill samples to assess the potential for upgrading REE mineralisation

·    Testing will target key intercepts including mid-high-grade zones of REE mineralisation that has been identified by previous scout drilling²

·    Pomme REE Carbonatite key historical intercepts^1,2,8 include: 

o  Drillhole POM-23-03: 398m @ 0.54% TREO & 0.05% Nb₂O₅ from 16m, including:

§ 30.5m @ 1.13% TREO & 0.03% Nb₂O₅ (from 311.5m) including

·    26.5m @ 1.45% TREO & 0.02% Nb₂O₅

§ 51m @ 0.92% TREO & 0.06% Nb₂O₅ (from 216m) including

·    9m @ 1.21% TREO & 0.03% Nb₂O₅ and

·    8.5m @ 1.62% TREO & 0.03% Nb₂O₅

§ 36m @ 0.92% TREO & 0.06% Nb₂O₅ (from 174m) including

·    18m @ 1.16% TREO & 0.03% Nb₂O₅

o  Drillhole POM-23-01: 513m @ 0.33% TREO & 0.08% Nb₂O₅ from 32m, including:

§ 17.5m @ 0.68% TREO & 0.08% Nb₂O₅ (from 228.6m) including

·    7.6m @ 0.9% TREO & 0.02% Nb₂O₅, and

§ 94.8m @ 0.55% TREO & 0.05% Nb₂O₅ (from 333.5m) including

·    4.5m @ 1% TREO & 0.02% Nb₂O₅, and

·    4.9m @ 1.1% TREO & 0.02% Nb₂O₅, an

·    4.25m @ 1.28% TREO & 0.02% Nb₂O₅, an

·    17m @ 0.72% TREO & 0.06% Nb₂O₅

Chairman Gerrard Hall commented: "Commencing characterisation and metallurgical studies marks an important step forward at Pomme. Historical drilling has already confirmed the scale and continuity of this large, carbonatite hosted REE system, and our focus now turns to understanding how the mineralisation responds to processing. The inclusion of Flash Joule Heating testwork alongside conventional methods reflects our commitment to identifying the most effective pathway to upgrade REE mineralisation. Together with Metallium as our processing and technology partner, we believe this work will help unlock Pomme's potential and deliver meaningful value for shareholders."

POMME CARBONATITE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

The proposed work program will focus on conventional metallurgical testwork with follow up Metallium Limited's proprietary Flash Joule Heating (FJH) technology to existing drill core samples, targeting the production of upgraded rare earth concentrates and early validation of a scalable, low-cost processing pathway that has the potential to materially enhance project economics¹.

Samples from drill holes POM-23-03, POM 23-01 and POM 23-07 to the southwest of the mineralised carbonatite returned broad mineralised intervals with multiple high-grade TREO intersections and will be considered for the first phase of characterisation and metallurgical testwork² (Figure 1).

Figure 1: ASX: MTM scout drilling at the Pomme Project area overlain on airborne magnetic image (TMI, 1VD)

The historic work program has significantly advanced the geological understanding of the complex, with early interpretations indicating that higher-grade mineralisation occurs within a ring structure surrounding a magnetic ultramafic carbonatite core.

Importantly, large portions of this prospective ring structure remain untested due to the broad drill spacing, presenting clear potential for further discovery through follow-up drilling.

POMME CARBONATITE REE PROJECT BACKGROUND

The Project is located approximately 500 km northwest of Montréal in Québec, around 100 km from the service town of Lebel-sur-Quévillon, approximately 50 km west of the Waswanipi Cree First Nation community, and benefits from easy access via established logging roads (Figure 1)². The Project comprises 43 mineral claims, covering approximately 2,400 ha area and is located 7km from the world class Montviel Deposit which has a total Indicated and Inferred resource of 266 Mt @ 1.46% TREO and 0.14% Nb₂O₅.²

Figure 2: Regional location map showing Pomme Project, in Québec, Canada²

MTM Critical Metals (a 100% subsidiary of ASX:MTM) has completed a 13-hole diamond drilling program totalling approximately 5,718 metres at its Pomme Rare Earth and Niobium Project in Québec, Canada². Carbonatite-hosted REE-Nb mineralisation was intersected in every drill hole, confirming the presence of a large, laterally extensive mineralised system exceeding 2 km² that remains open at depth (Figure 1).

The Pomme Project provides NFM with a highly capital-efficient, low-risk entry into a strategically located Canadian rare earth asset via a two-year option structure requiring upfront consideration of A$100,000 in cash (paid) and A$200,000 in NFM shares (issued) and minimum annual expenditure of A$100,000 per annum during the option period. This staged earn-in framework enables NFM to progressively earn a majority (90%) interest through defined technical and investment milestones, significantly limiting upfront capital exposure while preserving substantial upside¹.

NEXT STEPS

Preliminary metallurgical testwork

·    Existing sample diamond drill core will be used for characterisation studies and metallurgical assessment utilising conventional metallurgical testwork as well as tailored Metallium Limited's proprietary Flash Joule Heating (FJH) processing technology to beneficiate and upgrade REE sample.

ENDS

This announcement was approved for release by the Board of New Frontier Minerals Ltd.

For further information please contact:

New Frontier Minerals Limited	[phone]
Gerrard Hall (UK), Chairman
S. P. Angel Corporate Finance LLP (Corporate Broker)	[phone]
Ewan Leggat	[phone]
St Brides Partners Ltd (Financial PR)	[phone]
Ana Ribeiro and Charlotte Page

REFERENCES

1.    12 February 2026 - NFM ASX Release "Binding Option to Acquire 90% of Advanced Pomme REE Project in Quebec, Partnering with Metallium

2.    4 October 2023 - MTM ASX Release "Investor Update Presentation Deck Exploration Success at the Pomme REE-Nb Project in Québec"

3.    28 September 2023 - MTM ASX Release "High grade total rare earth element oxide (TREO) drilling results returned over significant widths at the Pomme REE-Nb Project, Québec"

4.    9 October 2023 - MTM ASX Release "Pomme Project drilling returns more rare earths intercepts. Assay results up to 2.72% (27,200ppm) TREOs"

5.    24 October 2023 - MTM ASX Release "Pomme Project drilling identifies new zones of rare earth and niobium mineralisation"

6.    15 November 2023 - MTM ASX Release "Pomme Project drilling identifies new zones of rare earth and niobium mineralisation within carbonatite complex"

7.    3 January 2024 - MTM ASX Release "New broad zones of REE-Niobium mineralisation identified within Pomme Project carbonatite complex"

8.    ALS Canada lab assay results, Montreal, QC, Canada - job certificate VO23203086 (10 September 2023)

About New Frontier Minerals

New Frontier Minerals Limited is an Australian-based ecarbo explorer, exploring for the critical minerals and base metals required to power a more electrified and sustainable future. The Company holds a strategic portfolio of rare earth, niobium and copper assets in Australia and Canada, which includes the Harts Range Heavy Rare Earths and Niobium Project in the Northern Territory, the NWQ Copper Project in Queensland. Other interests include the Pomme REE Project, situated in Quebec, Canada. These commodities are expected to play an increasingly important role in supporting global ecarbonization, energy security and technological advancement.

Competent Persons Statement

The scientific and technical information in this announcement, which relates to exploration targets, exploration results, preliminary sequential metallurgical results and the geology of the deposits described, is based on information compiled and approved for release by Mark Biggs. Mark Biggs is a Member of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM Member # 107188) and meets the requirements of a Competent Person as defined by the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (JORC Code 2012 Edition).

Mark Biggs has 35 years of experience relevant to Rare Earth Elements (REE), industrial mineral copper mineralisation types, as well as expertise in the quality and potential mining methods of the deposits under consideration. Additionally, he has 25 years of experience in the estimation, assessment, and evaluation of exploration results and mineral resource estimates, which are the activities for which he accepts responsibility. He also successfully completed an AusIMM Online Course Certificate in 2012 JORC Code Reporting. Mark Biggs is a consultant with ROM Resources and was engaged by New Frontier Minerals Limited to prepare the documentation for several prospects, specifically those within the Northwest Queensland, Harts Range and Pomme Projects upon which the Report is based.

Furthermore, the full nature of the relationship between himself and New Frontier Minerals Limited has been disclosed, including any potential conflicts of interest. Mark Biggs is a director of ROM Resources, a company that is a shareholder of New Frontier Minerals Limited, and ROM Resources provides occasional geological consultancy services to New Frontier Minerals Limited. The Report or excerpts referenced in this statement have been reviewed, ensuring that they are based on and accurately reflect, in both form and context, the supporting documentation relating to exploration results and any mineral resource estimates. The release of the Report and this statement has been consented to by the Directors of New Frontier Minerals Limited. Mr Biggs consents to the inclusion in this announcement of the matters based on his information and supporting documents in the form and context in which it appears.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information in this document refers to the intentions of New Frontier Minerals Ltd, but these are not intended to be forecasts, forward-looking statements, or statements about future matters for the purposes of the Corporations Act or any other applicable law. The occurrence of events in the future is subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause New Frontier Minerals Limited's actual results, performance, or achievements to differ from those referred to in this announcement. Accordingly, New Frontier Minerals Ltd, its directors, officers, employees, and agents, do not give any assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of the events referred to in this announcement will occur as contemplated. The interpretations and conclusions reached in this announcement are based on current geological theory and the best evidence available to the authors at the time of writing. It is the nature of all scientific conclusions that they are founded on an assessment of probabilities and, however high these probabilities might be, they make no claim for complete certainty. Any economic decisions that might be taken based on interpretations or conclusions contained in this announcement will therefore carry an element of risk. The announcement may contain forward-looking statements that involve several risks and uncertainties. These risks include but are not limited to, economic conditions, stock market fluctuations, commodity demand and price movements, access to infrastructure, timing of approvals, regulatory risks, operational risks, reliance on key personnel, Ore Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates, native title, foreign currency fluctuations, exploration risks, mining development, construction, and commissioning risk. These forward-looking statements are expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. These statements reflect current expectations, intentions or strategies regarding the future and assumptions based on currently available information. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties materialise, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary from the expectations, intentions and strategies described in this announcement. No obligation is assumed to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, opinions, and estimates should change or to reflect other future developments.

ASX Listing Rule 5.23.2

New Frontier Minerals Ltd confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in this market announcement and that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimates in this market announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed.

 

END