Graphite One Inc. announced that on January 15, 2021 it received notice that the Company's Graphite Creek Project has been designated a High-Priority Infrastructure Project (HPIP) by the U.S. Government's Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Committee (FPISC). The approval is the culmination of a process that began with the nomination on October 4, 2019 by Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy of Graphite One's project for High-Priority Infrastructure Project designation. With this FPISC determination, Graphite One can elect to list on the Federal Permitting Dashboard should the Company choose to do so. The Federal Permitting Dashboard ensures that federal permitting agencies coordinate their project review authorities, resulting in a more efficient process, with more transparency for state agencies and the public. This designation does not remove any of the stringent environmental standards or permitting requirements necessary for the Graphite Creek project and enhances Graphite One's ongoing commitment to local stakeholders for a transparent and thorough permitting process. At full production, Graphite One's proposed advanced graphite product manufacturing plant - the second link in its proposed supply chain strategy - is projected in its Preliminary Economic Analysis to convert Graphite Creek's annual 60,000 tonnes of graphite concentrate into 41,850 tonnes of EV-battery grade Coated Spherical Graphite and 13,500 tonnes of purified graphite powders. Graphite as a Critical Mineral The U.S. Government in 2018 placed natural graphite on its Critical Minerals List of materials critical to the national economy and national security of the United States. The United States currently has no domestic natural graphite production and is 100% reliant on imports with China producing 70% of the world's supply.