Feasibility stage Lac Knife Project to be showcased to global capital with C$2.76 billion in projected life-of-mine revenue and C$236.9 million in estimated pre-production capital
Ottawa, Ontario -
Newsfile Corp. - September 10, 2026 -
Focus Graphite Inc. (TSXV: FMS) (OTCQB: FCSMF) (FSE: FKC0) ("
Focus" or the "
Company"), a Canadian developer of high-grade flake graphite deposits and advanced graphite materials for battery, defence and industrial applications, is pleased to announce that it will participate in the Canada Investment Summit 2026 (the "
Investment Summit" or the "
Summit"), taking place September 14-15 in Toronto and hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney in partnership with CPP Investments and PSP Investments, and that the Company's 100%-owned Lac Knife Graphite Project ("
Lac Knife" or the "
Project") has been included in the investment deal book prepared in connection with the Summit. The inaugural Investment Summit will bring together leading global investors, Canadian CEOs and public-sector representatives in a practical forum focused on long-horizon capital, commercial opportunities and productive Canadian assets. The Government of Canada has positioned the Summit within its broader objective of catalyzing C$1 trillion in total investment in Canada over the next five years, with critical minerals identified among the sectors expected to help drive new investment and strengthen Canada's economic resilience. "The Canada Investment Summit provides Focus with an important opportunity to engage directly with some of the world's leading institutional and strategic investors, while Lac Knife's inclusion in the investment deal book ensures the Project is part of that broader investment conversation," said Dean Hanisch, Chief Executive Officer of Focus Graphite. "With strong feasibility-stage economics, a defined capital requirement and growing government support for Canadian critical mineral development, we believe Lac Knife is well positioned for this next stage of investor and strategic engagement."
Lac Knife Investment Highlights Located near Fermont, Québec, Lac Knife is one of North America's highest-grade feasibility-stage natural graphite projects. The 2023 NI 43-101 Feasibility Study Update ("
FSU") defines 9.31 million tonnes of Probable Mineral Reserves grading 14.97% graphitic carbon (
Cg) and supports a 27-year mine life producing approximately 50,000 tonnes of graphite concentrate annually. The FSU base-case economic analysis includes:
- C$2.76 billion in projected total life-of-mine revenue;
- C$1.76 billion in pre-tax total cash flow;
- C$500.6 million pre-tax Net Present Value (NPV) at an 8% discount rate, a 29.1% pre-tax Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and a 2.88-year payback period;
- approximately C$236.9 million in estimated pre-production capital; and
- C$284.8 million after-tax NPV at an 8% discount rate, a 22.6% after-tax IRR and a 3.38-year payback period.
On an after-tax basis, the FSU estimates approximately C$1.08 billion in total cash flow over the Project life. The combination of projected life-of-mine revenue and defined pre-production capital provides Lac Knife with a capital-efficient development profile relative to the scale of the opportunity. The Project's high-grade orebody also supports a relatively low annual ore-processing requirement of approximately 365,000 tonnes to produce approximately 50,000 tonnes of graphite concentrate per year. Pilot-scale process work supporting the FSU produced a calculated concentrate grade of 98.2% total carbon, with the salable concentrate product grading 97.8% total carbon. "Critical mineral security now comes down to execution and capital formation," said Jason Latkowcer, Vice President, Corporate Development of Focus Graphite. "Lac Knife has the grade, the defined resource and the feasibility work behind it. As permitting, infrastructure and commercial work advance, the Project is moving into a stage where institutional and strategic capital can help bridge the gap between a proven Canadian resource and an operating asset. That is the conversation we are bringing to the Canada Investment Summit."
Potential Capital Advantage Importantly, the 2023 FSU predates the introduction of Canada's Clean Technology Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit ("
CTM ITC"), and therefore no potential benefit from the incentive is incorporated into the Project's published NPV, IRR or capital estimates. The CTM ITC provides a refundable tax credit equal to 30% of the capital cost of eligible property associated with qualifying activities, including the extraction and processing of graphite, for qualifying property acquired beginning January 1, 2024 and becoming available for use on or before December 31, 2031. For illustrative purposes, if the full approximately C$236.9 million initial capital estimate were eligible for the 30% credit, the potential refundable tax credit value would be approximately C$71.1 million,...
