Protium Clean Energy Corp. Enters into Letter of Intent to Acquire Lake Timiskaming Natural Hydrogen Project

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 9, 2025) - Protium Clean Energy Corp. (CSE: GRUV) ("Protium" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a letter of intent dated September 9, 2025 with private vendors to acquire a 100% interest in the Lake Timiskaming Natural Hydrogen Project, strategically located on the Québec shoreline of Lake Timiskaming.

Under the terms of the letter of intent, the Company is required to:

(1) make a cash payment of $10,000 and issue $10,000 in common shares of the Company upon execution of the letter of intent;
(2) make a cash payment of $20,000 upon signing of the definitive agreement;
(3) issue $200,000 in common shares of the Company within 10 days of signing of a definitive agreement; and
(4) incur exploration expenditures of a minimum of $100,000 within 12 months of signing of a definitive agreement.

Common shares will be issued at a price equal to the 20-day volume-weighted average trading price of the Company's common shares. The letter of intent is subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange. The transaction is arm's length to the vendors.

The Lake Timiskaming Natural Hydrogen Project covers 102 mineral claims (approximately 3,800 hectares). The Project lies immediately adjacent to Quebec Innovative Materials Corp., which has announced a significant natural hydrogen discovery, and extends into the Québec side of the lake, above the deepest sections of the Timiskaming Graben (Figure 1) (see QIMC Press Releases dated July 25, 2024, and March 27, 2025). This rift corridor is defined by major fault systems (West Shore, Cross Lake, and Banche River faults) that could potentially act as a conduit for mantle-derived hydrogen.

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Geological highlights of Protium's ground include:

• Active rift faulting and porous sedimentary rocks favorable for hydrogen migration and potential reservoirs for hydrogen storage.
  
• Archean basement rocks which commonly include rocks that are capable of generating hydrogen through serpentinization (i.e. peridotite, basalts, komatiites).
  
• Paleozoic cover sequences (limestone, dolostone, sandstone) that can provide sealing and trapping mechanisms.
  

With QIMC already confirming significant hydrogen anomalies within the same structural system, Protium's property offers compelling exploration potential for free hydrogen concentrations along these well-defined geological structures. The reader is cautioned that information about QIMC's property is not necessarily indicative of hydrogen potential on Protium's Lake Timiskaming Natural Hydrogen Project.

Management Commentary

"Momentum is building in the Lake Timiskaming basin, which is now recognized as one of the most prospective natural hydrogen districts in North America," said Marc Branson, CEO of Protium Clean Energy Corp. "QIMC's extraordinary results - including free gas above 2% and shallow well hits exceeding 7,000 ppm hydrogen — validate the scale of this system. Our 100%-owned project lies immediately adjacent, positioned directly over the deepest rift sections where these same fault structures extend. We believe our ground could host part of the same structural hydrogen system, and we are excited to begin advancing exploration this fall."

Planned Exploration

Protium intends to begin initial exploration at the Lake Timiskaming Project in fall 2025, with work focused on refining targets and advancing the geological model. Activities may include detailed geological compilation, geochemical sampling, new geophysical surveys, reprocessing of existing government geophysical data, and other reconnaissance surveys to prioritize targets for future drilling.

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About Protium Clean Energy Corp.

Protium Clean Energy Corp. is a Vancouver-based exploration company advancing natural hydrogen and clean energy projects across North America. By combining strong geological models with first-mover opportunities, Protium aims to position itself at the forefront of the emerging clean hydrogen sector.

About Mercator Geological Services

Mercator is a Canadian geological consultancy firm that has been offering a full range of professional services to clients for both domestic and international projects, for over 30 years. Our team of professional geologists has extensive experience with strengths in mineral deposit modeling, resource estimation and technical reporting, AI driven mineral prospectivity, mineral exploration and project management.