Vancouver, BC, Canada, April 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Tellurium Corp. (CSE: FTEL, OTC: FSTTF) (the “Company” or “First Tellurium”), reports that, further to U.S. President Biden’s recent announcement that the U.S. military will provide US$250 million to fund critical minerals projects in both Canada and the U.S., along with Natural Resources Canada’s December 2022 launch of its Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy, First Tellurium has registered as a federal lobbyist to further its green and critical metals project in British Columbia.

“We’re probably the only junior mining company registered as a federal lobbyist,” said First Tellurium President and CEO Tyrone Docherty. “We have been communicating with Natural Resources Canada about advancing our Deer Horn project, and we’re very pleased with the prompt and enthusiastic response so far.”

Added Docherty, “First Tellurium is uniquely positioned to supply tellurium and other important metals to Canada and the U.S. Not only do we have high-grade gold, silver and tellurium projects in BC and Colorado, our partnership with Fenix Advanced Materials gives us the ability to integrate vertically to supply ultra-pure tellurium. Our Deer Horn project also contains significant showings of silver and copper, both essential green metals, along with the critical metals bismuth and tungsten.”

As part of First Tellurium’s governmental outreach around critical minerals, the Company’s Chairman Tony Fogarassy is currently attending the OECD’s 2023 Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains in Paris. The goal is to understand more about critical metals and how they relate to helping resolve climate change on a world scale.

“We know there’s a looming, massive shortage of critical minerals needed for batteries, electric vehicles solar power—any technology related to climate change and carbon reduction,” said Fogarassy. “I’m here to better understand how tellurium and our company will fit into these issues, and understand the emerging government policies and strategies to resolve these shortages. Canada is seen as a prime future supplier of critical minerals, due to its stable political and economic structure, and also its world-leading knowledge about exploration and mining.”

Tellurium, one of the planet’s rarest metals, is a vital component for thin-film, cadmium-telluride (Cd-Te) solar panels, thermoelectrics (which generate power from heat) and metallurgy. Tellurium is also essential for next-generation lithium-ion batteries under development by Fenix Advanced Materials and the University of British Columbia Okanagan. The metal appears on the critical metals lists for both Canada and the U.S.

First Tellurium’s Klondike gold-tellurium project in Colorado has been on government radar for many years. The Colorado Geological Survey, in its Colorado Mineral and Energy Industry Activities in 2014-2015 noted: “Surface sampling by First Solar, Inc. in 2006 found very high tellurium grades of up to 3.3% (33,000 ppm), along with locally high gold grades. Tellurium grades at Klondike were the highest encountered in the company’s nationwide exploration program.”

The Deer Horn property was noted as a key tellurium project in the United States Geological report on Critical Mineral Resources of the United States—Economic and Environmental Geology and Prospects for Future Supply. “The Deer Horn intermediate-sulfidation epithermal deposit in west-central British Columbia, Canada, contains high gold and silver grades with abundant base-metal sulfides and telluride minerals,” stated the report.

Both Canada and the U.S. are desperate to reduce their reliance on China for critical metals such as tellurium. Canada’s federal 2023 budget, announced Wednesday, March 28, earmarked $1.5 billion for a critical minerals infrastructure fund.

About First Tellurium Corp.
First Tellurium’s unique business model is to generate revenue and value through mineral discovery, project development, project generation and cooperative access to untapped mineral regions in Indigenous territory with sustainable exploration.

Our Klondike tellurium-gold property in Colorado and polymetallic Deer Horn Project in British Columbia anchor a diversified search for metals, working in alliance with Indigenous peoples, NGOs, governments and leading metals buyers. This is the future of mineral exploration—generating revenue by exploring responsibly and leveraging diverse partnerships.

First Tellurium proudly adheres to, and supports, the principles and rights set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and in particular the fundamental proposition of free, prior and informed consent. First Tellurium is listed on the Canadian Stock Exchange under the symbol “FTEL” and on the OTC under the symbol “FSTTF”. Further information about FTEL and its projects can be found on www.firsttellurium.com.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulations services accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking information
All statements included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions made by the Company based on its experience, perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. In addition, these statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will prove inaccurate, certain of which are beyond the Company’s control. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to revise or update these forward-looking statements after the date hereof or revise them to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated event.