REG - Aterian PLC - New Prospecting Licence in Botswana

AterianAnnouncement

15/12/2025 07:00

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RNS Number : 4638L  Aterian PLC  15 December 2025

15 December 2025

Aterian Plc

("Aterian" or the "Company" or the "Group")

New Prospecting Licence in Botswana

 

Aterian plc (LSE: ATN), the critical mineral exploration and development
company focused on Africa, is pleased to announce that it has been granted a
new Prospecting Licence ("PL") within the highly prospective Kalahari Copper
Belt ("KCB") in the Republic of Botswana ("Botswana"). The newly awarded
licence is strategically located adjacent to exploration  licences held by
Sandfire Resources ("Sandfire"), a leading copper producer in the region,
strengthens Aterian's rapidly growing copper portfolio and materially enhances
the scale and optionality of its Botswana platform.

 

Key Highlights:

·    New PL, covers 396.24km(2), valid for three years, renewable
thereafter.

·    Adjacent to Sandfire Resources exploration projects.

·    Evidence for several historical copper-in-soil anomalies.

·    Total KCB portfolio currently stands at 11 PLs covering 2,694.58
km(2).

·    The KCB portfolio, including the new PL, will be reviewed under the
new Lithosquare JV.

·    Total Botswana landholding, including the Sua Pan lithium brine
project, now stands at 5,211.51km(2).

The licence, covering approximately 396.24 km(2), was granted for an initial
three-year period, renewable thereafter, and was held by Atlantis Metals (Pty)
Ltd ("Atlantis"), a 90%-owned subsidiary of the Company. The PL potentially
hosts geological and structural characteristics consistent with copper-silver
mineralisation known across the KCB. Several copper-in-soil anomalies (> 18
ppm) are identified in historical MOD Resources reports (Q4/2017 Report). An
initial review of available datasets is underway to identify prospective zones
that warrant systematic exploration.

 

This award follows the Company's recently announced Joint Venture with
Lithosquare ("Lithosquare JV"), which is designed to accelerate exploration
funding and development across Aterian's Botswana and Morocco portfolio. The
addition of this new PL provides further scale, increasing the optionality
available under the JV structure, supporting the Company's strategy to build a
robust pipeline of critical metal opportunities in a tier-one mining
jurisdiction.

 

 Aterian KCB Licence Portfolio Map

 

Aterian Executive Chairman Charles Bray commented:

"This is a highly accretive licence award for Aterian. Securing this ground in
the Kalahari Copper Belt significantly enhances the strategic and geological
quality of our Botswana portfolio. Coming immediately after the launch of our
Lithosquare Joint Venture, this award adds further scale and optionality to a
platform designed to accelerate discovery while managing capital efficiently.
Given strengthening copper fundamentals, the KCB is emerging as one of the
most exciting copper belts globally, and we believe Aterian is exceptionally
well positioned to create substantial value from its growing KCB portfolio."

 

Next Steps

·    Integration of the new PL into the Lithosquare JV regional
exploration strategy

·    Compilation and interpretation of historical and government datasets

·    Planning of initial field activities, including geochemical and
geophysical surveys

·    Prioritisation of targets for future drilling programmes

Further updates will be provided to the market as the agreement progresses.

- ENDS -

This announcement contains information which, prior to its disclosure, was
inside information as stipulated under Regulation 11 of the Market Abuse
(Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019/310 (as amended).

Engage directly with the Aterian PLC management team by asking questions,
watching video summaries, and seeing what other shareholders have to say.
Please navigate to our interactive investor
hub here:
https://aterianplc.com/s/fcf8eb (https://aterianplc.com/s/fcf8eb)

For further information, please contact:

 Investor questions on this announcement

 We encourage all investors to share questions   https://aterianplc.com/s/fcf8eb (https://aterianplc.com/s/fcf8eb)

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Aterian Plc:

Charles Bray, Executive Chairman - charles.bray@aterianplc.com
(mailto:charles.bray@aterianplc.com)

Simon Rollason, Director - simon.rollason@aterianplc.com
(mailto:simon.rollason@aterianplc.com)

 

Financial Adviser and Joint Broker:

AlbR Capital Limited

David Coffman / Dan Harris

Colin Rowbury

Tel: +44 (0)207 7469 0930

 

Joint Broker:

SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP

Ewan Leggat / Adam Cowl

Tel: +44 20 3470 0470

 

Financial PR:

Bald Voodoo - ben@baldvoodoo.com (mailto:ben@baldvoodoo.com)

Ben Kilbey

Tel: +44 (0)7811 209 344

 

Subscribe to our news alert service: https://atn-l.investorhub.com/auth/signup
(https://atn-l.investorhub.com/auth/signup)

Notes to Editors:

 

About Aterian plc

 

www.aterianplc.com (http://www.aterianplc.com)

 

Aterian plc is an LSE-listed exploration and development company with a
diversified African portfolio of critical metals projects.

Aterian plc is actively seeking to acquire and develop new critical metal
resources to strengthen its existing asset base while supporting ethical and
sustainable supply chains as the world transitions to a sustainable, renewable
future. The supply of these metals is vital for developing the renewable
energy, automotive, and electronic manufacturing sectors, which are
increasingly important in reducing carbon emissions and meeting global climate
ambitions.

 

Aterian has a portfolio of multiple copper-silver (+ gold) and base metal
projects in Morocco. Aterian holds a 90% interest in Atlantis Metals, a
private Botswana-registered company holding eleven mineral prospecting
licences for copper-silver in the world-renowned Kalahari Copperbelt and three
for lithium brine exploration in the Makgadikgadi Pans region. The Company
also holds an exploration licence in southern Rwanda, where it is evaluating
the tantalum and niobium opportunity, in addition to further exploring for
pegmatite-hosted lithium.

 

The Company's strategy is to seek new exploration and production opportunities
across the African continent and to develop new sources of critical mineral
assets for exploration, development, and trading.

 

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