Company Continues Advancing Coosa Permitting Efforts, Customer Qualification Activities, and Kellyton Construction
CENTENNIAL, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 13, 2026--
Westwater Resources, Inc. (NYSE American: WWR), an energy technology and battery-grade natural graphite company ("Westwater" or the "Company"), today announced business and financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026.
"During the first quarter, we continued to advance our vertically integrated, mine-to-market graphite platform in Alabama," said Frank Bakker, President and Chief Executive Officer of Westwater Resources. "Our focus remains on execution across Coosa permitting, qualification activities, and measured construction progress at Kellyton, while actively pursuing financing initiatives to support completion of Phase I. We are prioritizing non-dilutive and lower-cost capital where available, including potential government funding programs, as we work to build a domestic supply chain for battery-grade graphite."
First Quarter 2026 Highlights
Coosa Graphite Deposit
-- Continued advancement of permitting activities for the Coosa Graphite
Deposit ("Coosa")
-- Received "covered project" designation under the FAST-41 Federal
Permitting Program during the quarter
-- Filed application for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
("NPDES") permit with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management
("ADEM"), a key environmental permit associated with future mine
development activities at Coosa
-- Continued geotechnical analyses, hydrologic monitoring, and
permitting-related technical work
-- Continued preparation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Individual
Permit application and Alabama air permitting activities
-- Company believes the project is substantially past fieldwork risk
related to cultural, wetland, and stream identification activities
Kellyton Graphite Plant
-- Continued construction and operational readiness activities at the
Kellyton Graphite Plant ("Kellyton")
-- Qualification line continued producing CSPG samples representative of
future commercial production, positioning Westwater among the most
advanced domestic graphite developers in the United States
-- Continued operation of the Company's R&D Lab to support product
optimization, customer qualification efforts, and in-house quality
control testing
-- Approximately $130 million has been invested into Kellyton Phase I
since inception of the project
-- Company continues to maintain its estimated Phase I capital cost of
approximately $245 million, including approximately $19 million of
untouched contingency and potential cost escalations
-- Initial production remains expected within approximately 12 months of
securing the remaining project financing
Customer Engagement & Commercial Activities
-- Continued customer qualification and commercial engagement activities
through the Company's operational qualification line
-- Ongoing discussions with prospective customers, including global
lithium-ion battery manufacturers and OEMs
-- Continued engagement with prospective customers evaluating U.S.-based
sources of battery-grade graphite amid evolving industrial policy and
critical mineral supply chain priorities
-- As previously announced, SK On Co., Ltd. elected to terminate the
Products Procurement Agreement originally executed in February 2024
"Westwater's integrated platform is aligned with both market demand and the federal government's focus on domestic critical mineral supply chains," added Mr. Bakker. "Our ability to produce CSPG samples today through the Kellyton qualification line, while advancing Coosa as a future domestic feedstock source, provides a clear point of differentiation as customers evaluate secure U.S.-based supply alternatives."
Financing & Liquidity
-- Cash balance of approximately $41.5 million as of March 31, 2026
-- Raised approximately $1.2 million of net proceeds through the ATM Sales
Agreement during the quarter
-- Approximately $70.6 million remained available under the ATM Sales
Agreement as of March 31, 2026
-- Continued engagement on a variety of government funding opportunities,
as well as on other capital markets opportunities with a preference for
non-dilutive and lower-cost sources of capital
-- Company continues to maintain a measured approach to capital deployment
while evaluating financing alternatives
First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
Net loss for the first quarter of 2026 was approximately $4.7 million, or $0.04 per share, compared to a net loss of approximately $2.7 million, or $0.04 per share, for the same period in 2025.
The increase in net loss was primarily related to increased permitting activities at Coosa, higher stock-based compensation expense, and increased product development and qualification activities.
Conference Call and Webcast
Westwater will host a conference call and webcast on May 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time to discuss its first quarter 2026 results and to provide a corporate update.
Webcast Link:
https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/265765325
Investors interested in submitting questions for management may do so in advance of the call by emailing InvestorRelations@WestwaterResources.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Company's website following the event.
About Westwater Resources, Inc.
Westwater Resources, Inc. (NYSE American: WWR) is a critical minerals and energy technology company advancing a vertically integrated, mine-to-market platform for battery-grade natural graphite in the United States. The Company's platform is anchored by the Coosa Graphite Deposit in Alabama, the largest natural flake graphite deposit in the contiguous United States, and the Kellyton Graphite Plant, a processing facility designed to produce coated spherical purified graphite (CSPG), a key material used in lithium-ion battery anodes. For more information, visit WestwaterResources.com.
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 and phrases such as "continues advancing," "results, " "execution," "measured," "actively pursuing," "prioritizing," "potential," "future," "believes," "substantially," "risk," "most advanced," "optimization," "approximately," "expected," "prospective," "evolving," "priorities," "aligned," "clear point of differentiation," "preference," "measured," "alternatives," "increase," "primarily," and other similar words. Forward looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning: operational developments including the construction of the Kellyton Graphite Plant, the development of the Coosa Graphite Deposit, and the costs, schedules, production and economic projections associated with both of them, and strategic priorities including progress on financing for the Kellyton Graphite Plant. The Company cautions that there are 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. Those uncertainties and other factors are discussed in Westwater's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and subsequent securities filings, and they could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260513094277/en/
CONTACT: Westwater Resources, Inc.
Email: Info@WestwaterResources.com
Investor Relations
Email: InvestorRelations@WestwaterResources.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 13, 2026 06:30 ET (10:30 GMT)
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