Westwater Resources Receives Air Permit for Kellyton Graphite Processing Plant

By: Westwater Resources, Inc. via Business Wire

June 08, 2022 at 06:30 AM EDT

Permit Enables Vertical Construction to Begin

Westwater Resources, Inc. (NYSE American: WWR), a battery-grade, natural graphite development company (“Westwater” or “the Company”), today announced it has received its air permit from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (“ADEM”). The receipt of this key permit allows Alabama Graphite Products, LLC, a subsidiary of Westwater Resources, to begin vertical construction at the Kellyton graphite processing plant and requires compliance with the Clean Air Act.

“The receipt of our air permit is another significant achievement by the Westwater team and allows us to continue to advance the construction of our Kellyton graphite processing facility. With the receipt of this permit, Westwater has received all necessary permits for the construction of our processing facility,” said Chad Potter, President and CEO of Westwater Resources and Alabama Graphite Products. “I want to thank our incredible team, which continues to move this project forward and reach critical milestones while focusing on the safety of each other, the environment and the communities where we work.”

The receipt of the Company’s air permit from ADEM is the culmination of a seven-month process that included a technical review by ADEM and a public notice and comment period. On January 31, 2022, Westwater announced it had received its NPDES permit that requires facility construction to comply with the Federal Clean Water Act and regulates disturbances and any stormwater runoff from the Kellyton plant site.

About Westwater Resources, Inc.

Westwater Resources, Inc. (NYSE American: WWR) is focused on developing battery-grade natural graphite products. The Company’s primary project is the Kellyton graphite processing plant that is under construction in east-central Alabama. In addition, the Company’s Coosa graphite deposit is the most advanced natural flake graphite deposit in the contiguous United States — and located across 41,900 acres (~17,000 hectares) in Coosa County, Alabama. For more information, visit www.westwaterresources.net.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are identified by words such as "expects," "estimates," "projects," "anticipates," "believes," "could," “scheduled,” and other similar words. Forward looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the construction and operation of the Company’s Kellyton graphite processing facility, the Company’s Coosa graphite deposit, and the costs and schedules associated with them. The Company cautions that there are certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information that has been provided. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is not a guarantee of future performance and is subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the control of the Company; accordingly, there can be no assurance that such suggested results will be realized. The following factors, in addition to those discussed in Westwater’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and subsequent securities filings, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations as suggested by such forward-looking information: (a) the spot price and long-term contract price of graphite (both flake graphite feedstock and purified graphite products) and vanadium, and the world-wide supply and demand of graphite and vanadium; (b) the effects, extent and timing of the entry of additional competition in the markets in which we operate; (c) the ability to obtain contracts with customers; (d) available sources and transportation of graphite feedstock; (e) the ability to control costs and avoid cost and schedule overruns during the development, construction and operation of the Kellyton graphite processing facility; (f) the ability to construct and operate the Kellyton graphite processing plant in accordance with the requirements of permits and licenses, including the ADEM air permit and the NPDES permit, and the requirements of tax credits and other incentives; (g) government regulation of the mining and manufacturing industries in the United States; (h) unanticipated geological, processing, regulatory and legal or other problems we may encounter; (i) the results of our exploration activities at the Coosa graphite deposit, and the possibility that future exploration results may be materially less promising than initial exploration results; (j) any graphite or vanadium discoveries at the Coosa graphite deposit not being in high enough concentration to make it economic to extract the metals; (k) our ability to finance growth plans; (l) the potential effects of the continued COVID-19 pandemic; (m) currently pending or new litigation or arbitration; and (n) our ability to maintain and timely receive mining, manufacturing, and other permits from regulatory agencies.