First Phosphate Corp. (CSE: PHOS) (OTCQB: FRSPF) (FSE: KD0) is pleased to announce that it has signed a technology license agreement with Prayon SA of Engis, Belgium for the technology to produce merchant grade phosphoric acid (MGA) from igneous apatite phosphate rock as well as high-purity gypsum.

Prayon will grant First Phosphate a license to use its technology to design, build, operate and maintain, within Canada, a Merchant Grade phosphoric acid (MGA) manufacturing plant with a production capacity of six hundred (600) metric tons of product per day of P₂O₅ (phosphate).

Further, First Phosphate has also selected Ballestra S.pA. of Milan, Italy (“Ballestra”) from a group of official permanent licensees of Prayon to fulfill the service agreement (“SA”) for the engineering services portion (FEED and EPC/EPCM) for the project.

Lastly, First Phosphate’s relationship with Norfalco, a division of Glencore Canada, (“Norfalco-Glencore”) dated July 2023, remains in place for secure supply of sulfuric acid for this future phosphoric acid facility.

“With these technology, engineering and sulfuric acid supply agreements in place, First Phosphate will have the ability to implement a process to convert approximately 500,000 tonnes per annum of igneous apatite originating from its future mining operations into upwards of 190,000 annual tonnes of value-added phosphoric acid,” says Company CEO, John Passalacqua.

“Through the sale of this license, Prayon gives First Phosphate access to a world-renowned technology and highlights its commitment to transforming a critical, strategic material into high-value-added products, while recycling by-products in a well-established circular economy,” says Benoît Van Massenhove of Prayon SA.

About First Phosphate Corp.

First Phosphate is a mineral development company fully dedicated to extracting and purifying phosphate for the production of cathode active material for the Lithium Iron Phosphate (“LFP”) battery industry. First Phosphate is committed to producing at high purity level, at full ESG standard and with low anticipated carbon footprint. First Phosphate plans to vertically integrate from mine source directly into the supply chains of major North American LFP battery producers that require battery grade LFP cathode active material emanating from a consistent and secure supply source. First Phosphate is owner and developer of the Bégin-Lamarche property in Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, Quebec, Canada that consists of rare anorthosite igneous phosphate rock that generally yields high purity phosphate material devoid of high concentrations of harmful elements.

About Prayon SA

Headquartered in Belgium, Prayon is a world-leading phosphate research, development and production company. Prayon has 1,400 employees and over 140 years of business experience. The Prayon Group has production sites in Belgium, France, Switzerland and the United States, research and development sites in Belgium and a testing and validation facility in Bulgaria (Technophos). OCP and Wallonie Entreprendre (WE) are Prayon’s two shareholders. OCP is the Moroccan state-owned phosphate rock miner, phosphoric acid manufacturer and fertilizer producer. OCP operations span five continents throughout the value chain, from mining and manufacturing to education and community development. WE is a public sector private-equity group that aims to accelerate the growth and transformation of Walloon businesses for the benefit of economic development and employment in Wallonia, Belgium.

About Ballestra Group

Ballestra S.p.A. is an international technology-oriented contractor based in Milano (Italy), with subsidiaries in Pratteln (Switzerland), and Bangalore (India) and over 450 employees worldwide. Ballestra is a permanent licensee of Prayon Technologies handling all process configurations and having delivered 13 projects to date successfully. Since 1960, Ballestra has performed hundreds of process plant EP or EPC projects and has access to a worldwide network of construction partners that allows a high level of construction servicing in any country.