Program Confirms Continuity of Mineralization and Grades

West Vancouver, British Columbia - Newsfile Corp. - February 17, 2026 - Surge Battery Metals Inc. (TSXV: NILI) (OTCQX: NILIF) (FSE: DJ5) (the "Company" or "Surge") is pleased to announce that Nevada North Lithium LLC (NNL), the joint venture formed by Surge and Evolution Mining Limited (Evolution), has reported assay results from the Nevada North Lithium Project (NNLP). The initial focus of this news release details the successful step-out holes along the western, southwestern, and southeastern edges of the current mineral resource boundary. Drilling continues to confirm the scale and continuity of the deposit, intersecting thick, favorable claystone horizons on and beyond the edges of the previously established footprint. Highlights of the 2025 Drill Program: The nine-hole program, totaling 4,634.5 feet (1,412.6 meters), successfully achieved all its primary objectives: collecting critical data for upgrading the mineral resource (from inferred to indicated and measured); gathering essential geotechnical and hydrogeological data; and securing bulk samples for metallurgical test work critical to the planned 2026 Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS).

• Southeastern Expansion: Step-out Hole NNL-037, located 640 meters east-southeast of the nearest hole, returned a cumulative thickness of 30.6 meters (100.5 ft) grading an average of 4,196 ppm Lithium (Li), including critical minerals Rubidium (325 ppm Rb) and Cesium (112 ppm Cs) associated with Li mineralization.
• Robust Geochemical Fingerprint: The program confirmed a positive correlation between elevated Cesium and Rubidium values and high-grade Lithium mineralization. This unique geochemical signature acts as a reliable pathfinder, de-risking future exploration and confirming that the mineralizing system is uniform across the entire 4.3 km strike length.
• Western Flank Growth: Hole NNL-031 returned 70.5 meters (240.3 ft) of combined mineralization grading 3,432 ppm Li, plus interval-associated average grades of 282 ppm Rb and 118 ppm Cs. The most western hole to date, NNL-029, returned 42.3 meters (138.4 ft) at 3,306 ppm Li, and 259 ppm Rb/138 ppm Cs.
  • A fault is interpreted from the 2024 RC hole NNL-023, and these two holes help locate the terminus of the clays on the western edge, further refining the resource.
• Southwestern Continuity: Hole NNL-034 successfully extended the mineralized horizon to the southwest, intersecting over 100 meters (330.6 ft) at 3,134 ppm Li.
  • This hole also approaches an interpreted fault discovered in 2024 RC hole NNL-027, bringing the resource further towards the basin margin at this location.
• Open to the south and the east: The 2025 program confirms what geophysical surveys previously suggested: the high-grade Nevada North basin is larger than currently modeled and remains open to the south, and east. No boundary has been established by drilling in these directions.

Table 1. NNLP 2025 core drilling, total mineralization

Hole ID	Thickness (m)	Thickness (ft)	Li (ppm)	Cs (ppm)	Rb (ppm)
NNL-029	42.3	138.4	3306	96	220
NNL-031	70.5	240.3	3432	118	282
NNL-034	50.4	165.3	3134	91	173
NNL-037	30.6	100.5	4196	112	325
1,250 ppm Li cutoff grade, no internal dilution

• Resource Upgrade Focus: The infill drilling successfully increased data density within the existing resource footprint, providing the necessary information to support the upgrade of Inferred resources to Indicated and Measured classifications - a crucial step for the PFS.
• Comprehensive PFS Data Acquired: The program systematically collected crucial data beyond primary lithium assays, including large-diameter (PQ) core for metallurgical testing, detailed geotechnical logging and televiewer data, and hydrogeological data including Vibrating Wire Piezometer (VWP) installations.

Table 2. Mineralized intercepts

Hole ID	From (m)	To (m)	Thick (m)	From (ft)	To (ft)	Thick (ft)	Li (ppm)	Cs (ppm)	Rb (ppm)
NNL-029	0	11.49	11.5	0	37.7	37.7	3989	138	259
NNL-029	22.86	34.44	11.6	75	113	38	3000	89	200
NNL-029	48.64	51.69	3.1	159.6	169.6	10	1775	63	140
NNL-029	63.88	75.98	12.1	209.6	249.3	39.7	3868	88...