• US formally classified silver as a Critical Metal for the first time
• Silver demand from solar exceeded 200 million ounces annually
• LU7 positioned to recover high-purity silver from end-of-life PV panels

Lithium Universe Limited (ASX: LU7) is pleased to announce the advancement of its U.S.-focused PV recycling and silver recovery strategy following the recent decision by the United States Government to formally classify silver as a Critical Metal. This landmark policy shift, the first time in history that silver has been elevated to critical status, reinforces the importance of developing secure, domestic supply chains for the metals essential to America's energy transition, manufacturing resilience, and national economic security. The U.S. Government's decision was motivated by silver's irreplaceable conductivity, antimicrobial properties, and unique role in photovoltaic cells. As referenced in recent market analyses, approximately 200 million ounces of silver are consumed annually by the solar industry alone, contributing to an ongoing global deficit. Lithium Universe is uniquely positioned to help address this challenge through its proprietary Microwave Joule Heating Technology (MJHT) and Jet Electrochemical Silver Extraction (JESE) processes, two innovations that make the Company one of the few global entities focused specifically on economically recovering high-purity silver from end-of-life photovoltaic solar panels. Lithium Universe confirmed that its senior management team had recently visited several Texas sites for the establishment of the Company's U.S. PV recycling and silver-recovery facility. The alignment between the U.S. Government's new silver policy direction and LU7's recycling strategy is highly compelling, as silver's elevation to the Critical Minerals List represents a decisive acknowledgement of the material's dual importance: as a precious metal valued for investment, and as an irreplaceable industrial input for solar photovoltaics, electronics, electric vehicles, medical devices, and numerous high-performance applications.

Lithium Universe is positioning LU7 to play a significant role in the future circular economy for solar materials in North America.