• Sigma Lithium announces the sale of an additional 100,000 tons of high-purity lithium ore fines based on the SMM lithium concentrate price, at a price higher than the previous sale.
• The company confirms that mine restart activities are progressing as planned and are expected to be completed by January 2026, consistent with its announcement on January 13, 2026.
• Sigma Lithium strongly refutes recent media reports that inaccurately described an administrative procedure initiated by Brazil's Ministry of Labor and Employment regarding the company's waste piles as an "operational ban," labeling such reports as "fake news," and states it has notified relevant authorities.
On January 23, Sigma Lithium announced the sale of another 100,000 tons of high-purity lithium ore fines. In its statement, the company reiterated that the remobilization of contractor equipment and personnel at the mine site is progressing according to plan and is expected to be completed in January 2026.
The company firmly denied recent media reports that mischaracterized an administrative procedure initiated by the Ministry of Labor and Employment as an "operational ban," calling them "fake news." Regarding speculative reporting by some media based on this procedure about the safety of the company's waste piles, Sigma Lithium clarified that such claims are completely false and emphasized that this administrative procedure does not constitute a material event.
High-Purity Lithium Ore Fines Sales Details
The transaction was conducted based on the Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) lithium concentrate price, equivalent to an adjusted net price of USD 140 per ton for each 1% Li₂O content (the current SMM price quotation for 1.35% Li₂O content is USD 195 per ton).
Sigma Lithium pointed out that the revenue from these high-purity fines sales represents a "green dividend" for its shareholders, made possible by the company's investment in environmental "cutting-edge technology" at its Greentech Plant. This technology enables dry-stacking of tailings and allows for the recovery of lithium by selling high-purity fines. Consequently, Sigma Lithium possesses one of the most environmentally sustainable lithium processing facilities in the industry, integrating dry-stacking, 100% water recirculation, zero use of toxic chemicals in lithium processing, and 100% renewable power supply.
Clarification Regarding Inaccurate Media Reports
Sigma Lithium has recently been the subject of multiple inaccurate reports. The company stated that this is part of an organized, funded online defamation campaign that has repeatedly disseminated false, inaccurate, and misleading information about the company and its management. The latest reports containing false statements about the Ministry of Labor and Employment's administrative inquiry into the company's waste piles and their safety align with the tactics of this ongoing "fake news cyber-smear campaign": approximately one month after the inquiry's initiation and merely two days after the company's positive operational update on January 13, 2026, several "paid-writer" style online media outlets suddenly published a flood of defamatory articles claiming the company had been shut down by the Ministry or even the "Brazilian Government."
These allegations were primarily published by certain Brazilian online media outlets that publish sponsored content and were subsequently republished by some international mainstream online media and news agencies lacking rigorous fact-checking practices. This defamation campaign led to significant volatility in Sigma Lithium's share price on January 16, with trading volume exceeding four times the Nasdaq daily average and the stock price dropping approximately 30%, potentially benefiting short-sellers. The company has reported the matter to relevant authorities, including FINRA (under the U.S. SEC).
The Brazilian Ministry of Labor and Employment initiated an administrative inquiry regarding the company's waste piles in mid-December, following a routine health and safety inspection. During this inspection, the Ministry acknowledged the company's outstanding safety record—over two years without a lost-time injury. Sigma Lithium's management believes that this inquiry did not, at its initiation nor does it currently, constitute material information requiring disclosure, and it does not affect the company's operations, including the ongoing mine restart plan.
The company's restart plan is expected to sustain approximately 19,000 direct and indirect jobs in the Jequitinhonha Valley region. This objective aligns closely with the purposes of the Brazilian Ministry of Labor and Employment, the Brazilian Government, and Sigma Lithium. Sigma Lithium's commercial success significantly enhances Brazil's leadership in critical minerals, positioning the country as a key player in the global supply chain for Li₂O materials produced in an environmentally and socially sustainable manner, thereby supporting the energy transition.
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