Sunward to Co-Fund Firebird’s Energy-Saving Calcining Technology, Firebird to Earn 5% Future Sales Royalty

Manganese developer Firebird Metals Limited (ASX: FRB, “Firebird” or “the Company”) is pleased to announce its subsidiary Hunan Firebird Battery Technologies Co Ltd (HFBT) has entered into an agreement with Zhongji Sunward Technology Co, Ltd (Sunward), a leading engineering and large-scale comprehensive design research company in China.

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HIGHLIGHTS

• Development agreement signed with Zhongji Sunward Technology Co, Ltd (“Sunward”), a leading producer of rotary tunnel kilns used in many chemical plants across China

• Innovative Design: Firebird has designed a patent-pending calcining unit which reduces energy usage by 80%, significantly further enhancing the cost-efficiency of the Company’s proposed Battery Grade High-Purity (MnSO4) Plant, to be located in Jinshi, Hunan Province, China

• Wider Applications and Royalties: The new calcining unit has broad industrial applications. Sunward has agreed to pay Firebird a 5% royalty on future sales revenue and the Company retains the right to collaborate with other manufacturers

• Pilot Plant Co-Funding: Sunward will fund 50% of the cost of a pilot plant which has a total cost estimate of US$200,000 and is responsible for the detailed engineering design and manufacturing of the pilot plant

• Project Timeline: The pilot plant is expected to be completed in 2 months and data collected from testing will be used to inform the current project design

• Continued Innovation: Firebird continues to focus on delivering energy efficiency improvements through its proprietary technologies. The Energy-Saving Calcining Technology and 5th Generation Crystallization Technology further strengthens the Company’s compelling opportunity to rapidly develop into a low-cost producer of high- purity manganese sulphate

Firebird Managing Director Mr Peter Allen commented: “

This agreement with Sunward, which is a leading engineering and research design company in China, is further validation of the excellent and sector leading work that our team in China are executing. Further, Sunward is a great example of the high-quality calibre of the partners we are attracting in China, as we progress the development of our proposed battery grade manganese plant in China.

“The agreement with Sunward is a great way for us to determine the commercial viability of the energy recycling system that we have developed and If the technology works on a commercial scale, it could lead to significant operating cost reductions in our manganese sulphate plant.

“I would like to thank our growing team in China, who continue to develop innovative processes to ensure we move further down the cost curve from the competitive numbers outlined in our Feasibility Study, as we work towards near-term production of high-purity manganese.”

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