Apex Mobilizes First Drill Rig to the Rift Rare Earth Project in Nebraska, U.S.A.

VANCOUVER, BC — January 26, 2026 — Apex Critical Metals Corp. (CSE: APXC; OTCQX: APXCF; FWB: KL9) has announced that the first drill rig has arrived on site for the company’s inaugural drilling campaign at its 100%-controlled Rift Rare Earth Project, located within the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex in southeastern Nebraska, United States. The mobilization is a key operational step that moves the project from planning and preparation into active field execution. The announcement was released through ACCESS Newswire and highlights both near-term exploration objectives and the company’s broader critical-minerals strategy across North America.

According to the company, the rig is now being assembled and commissioned, while crews continue essential site preparation work, including access route improvements, drill pad construction, and logistical staging. These activities are designed to support steady drilling operations as the program ramps up, with Apex indicating that additional equipment—most notably a second drill rig—is expected to arrive soon to accelerate the pace of work.

What’s Happening on the Ground at Rift Right Now

The immediate focus at the Rift Rare Earth Project is practical and straightforward: get the first rig operating safely and efficiently, complete final site works, and begin drilling into targets that previous operators identified as hosting significant rare earth mineralization. In exploration, the arrival of a rig is more than a photo opportunity—it’s the moment where budgets, models, and plans meet real rock.

Apex has stated that crews are working through commissioning procedures (the checks and calibration needed before full operations), while also completing a set of groundwork tasks that typically include:

• Access and trafficability: ensuring equipment and supply routes can handle heavy loads and seasonal conditions.
• Drill pad readiness: preparing stable pads to allow accurate drilling and safe operations.
• Staging and logistics: setting up laydown areas, core handling workflows, fuel and water planning, and support infrastructure.

These steps may sound routine, but they are critical. A well-run site setup reduces downtime, improves safety, and helps ensure that the drilling program stays on schedule—especially when multiple rigs are expected to work in parallel.

Phase I Drill Program: The Core Objective

Apex’s announced Phase I drilling is designed to verify and expand known rare earth element (REE) mineralization that was identified by prior operators in the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex. The company has indicated that the Phase I work will focus on a high-priority area in the southeastern portion of the Rift Project, with planned drilling covering approximately 850 metres of north–south strike.

In other words, the company is concentrating the first phase where the existing data and geological interpretation suggest the best chance of delivering clear, meaningful results quickly. That’s a common and often smart approach in early drilling: start where the geological “signal” is strongest, then step outward once you have confirmation.

Apex has also emphasized that drill targeting is being guided by multiple datasets integrated into a modern 3D geological model. This matters because a 3D model doesn’t just make the project look polished—it can significantly improve the accuracy of drilling by combining:

• Geophysical data (signals from the subsurface that can hint at rock types and structures),
• Geochemical information (element concentrations from sampling and past drill results), and
• Historical drilling data (past holes that already tested portions of the system).

By integrating these layers, Apex aims to place drill holes where they can best answer two major questions: Is the mineralization real and repeatable under modern standards? and How far does it extend?

Why the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex Matters

The Rift Rare Earth Project sits within the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex, described by Apex as one of North America’s most prospective carbonatite systems. Carbonatites are unusual igneous rock bodies that can be enriched in critical minerals, including rare earth elements and niobium. These types of geological systems are closely watched because they can host large-tonnage deposits, sometimes with broad zones of mineralization.

In practical terms, carbonatite-hosted projects can be attractive exploration targets because they may offer:

• Scale potential: large geological systems can sometimes support sizeable mineral inventories.
• Multiple critical minerals: REEs plus niobium (and sometimes others) may occur together.
• Continuity possibilities: broad mineralized intervals can make follow-up drilling more efficient.

However, it’s also important to note that exploration potential is not the same as an economic mine. Even if drilling confirms mineralization, companies still need to prove many things—metallurgy, processing routes, environmental and permitting pathways, infrastructure considerations, and ultimately economic viability. Phase I drilling is the “truth test” for what the rocks actually contain.

CEO Commentary: From Planning to a Potential Maiden Resource Path

Apex CEO Sean Charland described the drill rig’s arrival as a major milestone and positioned it as the start of a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the Rift Project while accelerating progress toward a maiden mineral resource.

In mining and exploration, a “maiden resource” is a significant benchmark because it represents the first formal estimate of how much mineralization might be present—typically following recognized standards and based on drilling data. While a resource estimate is not the same as a reserve (which includes demonstrated economic feasibility), it is often a key step that can:

• Help guide more targeted drilling in subsequent phases,
• Support early-stage economic studies, and
• Improve the project’s visibility to strategic partners, investors, and supply-chain stakeholders.

Apex has stated that the company expects to provide periodic updates as drilling progresses. The mention of a second rig arriving imminently suggests the company is aiming to move quickly through its initial drill plan.

Historical Context: Previous Operators and Reported Mineralization

A central theme of Apex’s Phase I strategy is to validate historical results reported by earlier operators. The company notes that historical drilling across the complex reported broad intervals of high-grade REE mineralization, including examples such as 155.5 metres of 2.70% REO and 68.2 metres of 3.32% REO (REO refers to rare earth oxides).

These kinds of intervals—if confirmed under modern sampling, QA/QC standards, and reporting frameworks—can be meaningful in establishing the project’s credibility. That said, the market and regulators typically treat historical data carefully, because methods and standards vary over time. This is why Apex is emphasizing verification: the company wants modern drilling to “tie in” with the old work and confirm continuity and grade distribution.

If Phase I drilling successfully confirms mineralization and expands the known footprint, the next steps often include infill drilling (to tighten spacing for resource confidence), step-out drilling (to grow the system), and additional technical studies that address how the material could be processed.

Why Rare Earth Elements Are Strategically Important

Rare earth elements play an outsized role in modern technology. Despite the name, they’re not always “rare” in the earth’s crust, but economically concentrated rare earth deposits are less common, and processing can be technically demanding. REEs are widely used in applications such as:

• Permanent magnets (used in electric motors and wind turbines),
• Electronics (including smartphones, displays, and specialized components),
• Defense and aerospace systems (advanced sensors and high-performance alloys), and
• Clean energy infrastructure (a broad category that includes electrification hardware).

Because of these uses, governments and industry groups often view REEs as strategic supply-chain materials. Projects located in the United States, like Rift, can attract attention as potential future contributors to domestic or regional supply chains—though, again, that depends on technical and economic success over time.

Operational Plan: A Quick Ramp-Up with Two Rigs

Apex’s update indicates an operational ramp-up: one rig has arrived and is being commissioned, and a second rig is anticipated shortly. Two-rig programs can significantly increase drilling output, especially when targets are well-defined and site logistics are ready.

From an exploration standpoint, faster drilling can be beneficial because it can:

• Generate assay results sooner, enabling faster decision-making,
• Allow the company to adjust targets based on early hole results, and
• Support a more aggressive timeline toward follow-up drilling and resource work.

That said, faster programs also require strong coordination—core handling, sample shipment, lab turnaround times, and data management must scale up so results stay reliable and interpretable.

Corporate Update: Grant of Restricted Share Units (RSUs)

In addition to the operational drilling milestone, Apex also announced a corporate governance and compensation update: the company granted 750,000 restricted share units (RSUs) to a director under its omnibus equity incentive plan, which was last approved by shareholders on February 26, 2025.

The RSUs were granted on January 23, 2026 and are scheduled to vest in two equal tranches:

• 375,000 RSUs vesting 12 months from the grant date, and
• 375,000 RSUs vesting 24 months from the grant date.

Each vested RSU represents the right to receive one common share of Apex, subject to the plan’s terms. The company also noted that the shares underlying the RSUs are subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance.

RSU grants are common in public companies as a way to align director and executive incentives with long-term shareholder outcomes. The vesting schedule typically encourages continuity and sustained performance over time, rather than short-term decision-making.

Technical Oversight: Qualified Person and NI 43-101 Standards

Apex stated that the technical content of the release was reviewed and approved by Nathan Schmidt, P. Geo., identified as a Qualified Person under Canada’s NI 43-101 disclosure standards for mineral projects. The release notes that Mr. Schmidt is a geologist with Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., the consulting firm engaged by Apex to conduct and oversee exploration work, including the 2026 drill program.

This detail is important for investors because NI 43-101 is designed to ensure that scientific and technical information disclosed by Canadian-listed mining issuers is prepared and reviewed by appropriately qualified professionals. Qualified Person oversight helps reinforce that technical statements are based on accepted methodologies and transparent reporting standards.

How Rift Fits Into Apex’s Bigger North American Critical Metals Strategy

Apex describes itself as a Canadian exploration company focused on critical and strategic metals, particularly rare earth elements and niobium, with projects in both the United States and Canada. In the same release, the company referenced its Canadian Cap Project in British Columbia, where a 2025 drill program reportedly confirmed a niobium discovery, including a highlighted interval of 0.59% Nb₂O₅ over 36 metres, including 1.08% Nb₂O₅ over 10 metres, within a longer niobium trend.

By linking the Rift Project (U.S.-based REEs) with Canadian niobium exploration, Apex is communicating a portfolio approach: multiple projects, multiple jurisdictions, and more than one strategic metal. That can potentially diversify exploration risk—though all early-stage exploration remains inherently uncertain.

What to Watch Next: Catalysts and Milestones

For readers tracking the Rift Rare Earth Project, several near-term developments are likely to matter most:

• Start of active drilling: once commissioning is complete and drilling begins, the first holes often set the tone.
• Arrival and activation of a second rig: confirmation that the program is scaling as planned.
• Assay results and geological interpretation: the key proof points for mineralization and continuity.
• Program updates: Apex has indicated it will provide periodic progress reports as drilling advances.

Exploration news flow typically builds over time: mobilization, drilling commencement, progress updates (metres drilled, hole completion), then assay results, and finally interpretation that connects the results into a coherent geological story.

FAQs (Quick Answers About the Rift Rare Earth Drilling Update)

1) What exactly did Apex announce?

Apex announced that the first drill rig has arrived at its Rift Rare Earth Project in southeastern Nebraska and is being assembled and commissioned, with site preparations underway to support Phase I drilling.

2) Where is the Rift Rare Earth Project located?

The project is located within the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex in southeastern Nebraska, U.S.A.

3) What is Phase I drilling trying to accomplish?

Phase I is designed to verify and expand significant rare earth mineralization reported by previous operators, using modern targeting supported by geophysical, geochemical, and historical drilling data integrated into a 3D geological model.

4) How much area will Phase I drilling cover?

Apex stated that drilling is planned to cover approximately 850 metres of north–south strike in a high-priority southeastern portion of the property.

5) Is Apex bringing more drilling equipment?

Yes. Apex indicated that drilling will ramp up and that a second drill rig is expected to arrive soon.

6) What are RSUs and why did Apex mention them?

Apex also announced the grant of 750,000 RSUs to a director under its equity incentive plan. RSUs are a form of share-based compensation that typically vests over time, aligning leadership incentives with long-term company performance.

Learn More (Official Source)

For additional company background and official updates, you can visit the company website here: Apex Critical Metals Corp..

Conclusion

The mobilization of the first drill rig to the Rift Rare Earth Project marks an important transition for Apex Critical Metals—from preparation into active drilling. With commissioning underway, site readiness progressing, and a second rig anticipated, Apex is positioning Phase I as a focused campaign aimed at confirming and expanding historically reported REE mineralization within the Elk Creek Carbonatite Complex. Alongside the operational update, the company disclosed an RSU grant and reiterated that technical disclosure has been reviewed under NI 43-101 standards by a Qualified Person.

As the program advances, the most meaningful next data points will come from drilling progress and assay results—those will ultimately determine whether the project’s promise translates into a stronger geological model and a clearer path toward a maiden resource estimate.

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