Titan's Empire State Mines selected for pioneering Enhanced Use Lease opportunities at Pine Bluff Arsenal (AR) and Anniston Army Depot (AL)
Partnership marks America's first major industrial step toward graphite independence, the first domestic graphite purification facility on a U.S. military installation, and a direct challenge to China's 90%+ control of global battery-grade graphite processing
GOUVERNEUR, N.Y., June 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Titan Mining Corporation (NYSE-A:TII, TSX:TI), ("Titan" or the "Company") an existing zinc concentrate producer in upstate New York and the only end to end producer of natural flake graphite in the U.S., announced a landmark step toward American graphite independence: its wholly-owned subsidiary, Empire State Mines, LLC ("ESM"), has received Conditional Selection Notices from the U.S. Army for Enhanced Use Lease ("EUL") opportunities at two strategic defense installations — Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas, and Anniston Army Depot, Alabama. The awards are made under U.S. Army RFP No. DACA27-1-26-204 and the Army's newly launched Strategic Capital Initiatives ("SCI") program. Titan is open to other Army sites and will continue to pursue those opportunities.
HIGHLIGHTS
Historic First: First commercial graphite purification facility to be sited on U.S. Army installations, a landmark effort in ending America's 100% import reliance on foreign-controlled graphite supply chains
Executive Order 14241: ESM's selection is among the first Enhanced Use Lease awards issued pursuant to President Trump's March 2025 Executive Order directing the deployment of domestic mineral processing infrastructure on U.S. defense installations
Two Conditional EUL Awards: Pine Bluff Arsenal, AR (~245 acres, primary site) and Anniston Army Depot, AL (~97 acres, secondary site)
Facility Purpose: Design, finance, build, and operate the Kilbourne Graphite Purification Plant to produce Purified Micronized Graphite (PMG) and Coated Spherical Purified Graphite (CSPG) for defense, energy and industrial applications
Zero Taxpayer Cost: All development, construction, and operating costs borne by Empire State Mines ("ESM"); U.S. Army retains land title at all times
Long-Term Strategic Partnership: Lease term up to 50 years under 10 U.S.C. § 2667 Enhanced Use Lease authority
Supply Chain Independence: Directly challenges China's near-total control of graphite processing; delivers the domestic supply security that U.S. defense, energy and industrial supply chains require
National Security Platform: Establishes a public-private partnership model for deploying critical mineral processing infrastructure on U.S. defense installations
Development Timeline: Business Terms Agreement negotiations underway; construction targeted to commence in H2 2027