{"success":true,"data":{"pressRelease":{"id":"158498","rtpr_id":"nNFC3fvwQ3-20261001","ticker":"SGML","exchange":"NASDAQ","all_tickers":["SGML"],"title":"Sigma Lithium Announces Its Operations Temporarily Paused Awaiting Ruling by Federal Court of Appeals; Maintains 2027 Guidance of 330,000t","author":"Newsfile Corp","published_at":"2026-10-01T14:26:34.421Z","article_body":"Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 1, 2026) - Sigma Lithium\nCorporation (NASDAQ: SGML) (ASX: SAU) (TSXV: SGML) (BVMF: S2GM34) (\"Sigma\nLithium\" or the \"Company\"), the largest producer of industrial-mineral lithium\noxide concentrate in the Americas¹, dedicated to supplying global producers\nof batteries with sustainable and traceable lithium materials, announces that\nall of its mining and industrial production was temporarily suspended\nyesterday, on September 30.\n\nThe suspension is a result of an atypical 15-day delay by the Federal Court of\nAppeals in reviewing the Company's legal defense (\"Emergency Motion For\nSuspensive Relief\").\n\nSigma Lithium confirms that it remains focused on advancing its expansion\nplans, expecting to deliver 330,000t of lithium oxide concentrate in FY 27.\nHowever, the Company will postpone by 3 months its 12-month guidance of\n240,000t.\n\nSigma Lithium will maintain the commercial and recycling operations that\nensure the circularity of 100% of its dry stacked tailings, selling\nhigh-purity lithium fines, generating cash flow and expecting to continue to\nself-fund the Company during the temporary suspension.\n\nFollowing this anomalous 15-day delay by the Federal Court of Appeals, the\nCompany received and acknowledged in the evening of September 29 an electronic\nnotification posted by FEAM, in legal conformity with the environmental\nprocess of Minas Gerais.\n\nHowever, the temporary suspension will generate significant negative economic\nimpact across 12 municipalities in the Vale do Jequitinhonha. As a key\neconomic growth engine in the region, Sigma Lithium has contributed to the\ncreation of 19,000 direct and indirect job positions, benefiting approximately\n80,000 people across 12 municipalities in one of the most economically\nunderserved regions of the State of Minas Gerais.\n\nBACKGROUND ON LOCAL FEDERAL JUDGE DECISION ON NGOLO LAWSUIT\n\nSigma Legal Defense technically challenged a preliminary emergency injunction\n(\"Preliminary Federal Ruling\") issued by a local Federal Court, in a lawsuit\nfiled by Ngolo (\"NGO Lawsuit\") requesting Minas Gerais state authorities to\nsuspend the Company's environmental licenses, breaching several terms of the\nTAC Agreement signed with Sigma Lithium.\n* Sigma Lithium's legal defense technically demonstrates that the Company's\ndistance to the houses of Quilombolas (descendants of enslaved Afro-Brazilians\nliving in rural settlements) is further than legal limits, not causing them\nadverse impacts.\nNGOLO's lawyer has allegedly been charged with defamation and slander by\nanother federal judge in a different Federal Court.\n\nThe NGO filed a federal lawsuit against not only Sigma Brazil, but also all of\nthe parties that have evaluated and decided to grant Sigma Lithium's\nenvironmental licenses since 2019:\n* The State Government of Minas Gerais.\n* FEAM (the Minas Gerais Environmental Authority).\n* INCRA (The Federal Government Body for Traditional Communities Rights).\nAdditionally, the Preliminary Federal Ruling was issued in dissonance with\nBrazil's strong democratic rule of law:\n*\nSigma Lithium's constitutional right to present a legal defense was violated\nby the local federal court in Teofilo Otoni.\n*\nThe Company did not receive any legal communication in connection with the\nPreliminary Federal Ruling, until almost one week after it was issued. \n*\nThe Preliminary Federal Ruling was issued as an \"emergency ruling\" despite the\nlack of any technical evidence to support the Company's \"imminent urgent\"\noperational impacts on the Quilombolas, by a federal judge acting on weekend\nduty, when appeals courts were closed during a holiday weekend.\n*\nSigma Lithium's Grota do Cirilo complex falls outside the Quilombo and the\nlegal distance of environmental impact determined by Brazilian law.\n*\nThe Company has not caused any negative impact on the Quilombola community\n(atmospheric, water, acoustic, anthropological, substantive, or structural)\nand quantitative measurements of Sigma Lithium environmental impacts were not\npresented in the Ngolo Lawsuit.\n*\nA previous request for independent expert technical evidence to evaluate the\nCompany's operational impacts on the Quilombo (atmospheric, water, acoustic,\nanthropological, substantive, or structural) has been denied by the Federal\nCourt in Teofilo Otoni.\n*\nSigma Lithium's environmental licenses are a \"Vested Rights and Established\nLegal Status\" protected under the rule of law:\n*\nArticle 24 of the LINDB (Law of Introduction to the Norms of Brazilian Law)\nprohibits invalidating acts based on subsequent changes in administrative\ninterpretation.\n*\nArticle 35 of INCRA Normative Instruction No. 111/2021 provides that, for an\nRTID published during ongoing operations, the required measures consist of\ncomplementary studies and mitigation actions-not the suspension of permits.\n\nBACKGROUND ON QUILOMBOS\n\nQuilombos are Afro-Brazilians living in heritage rural settlements established\nby slaves. Sigma Lithium believes that legal rights of Quilombos must be\nrealized through the prospective instruments provided by the Brazilian legal\nframework, rather than autocratically and retroactively ruling lawful acts\nduly issued by the State.\n\nSince 2017, when A10 Responsible Investments Impact Fund (\"A10 Fund\") became\nits controlling shareholder, Sigma Lithium has been consistently and\nquantitatively demonstrating that:\n*\nThe Company neither operates nor holds any mining concessions or assets within\neither the original or the newly claimed areas proposed for recognition (RTID)\nas Quilombolas.\n*\nSince 2017, its Grota do Cirilo Project has been measured to be further from\nthe Afro-Brazilian heritage community than the applicable legal distance\nthreshold.\n*\nThe government official registry did not indicate any Quilombola community\nwithin Sigma Lithium's Grota do Cirilo Project when its environmental licenses\nwere issued.\n*\nSigma Lithium's environmental licenses were issued and/or deliberated by the\nState of Minas Gerais between May 2019 and April 2023, predating the technical\nreport self-issued by the expert hired by the Quilombola (\"RTID\").\n*\nRTID self-proclaimed public notices for the Baú Community (the Quilombola\nobject of the Preliminary Federal Ruling) were published on November 24 and\n27, 2023.\n*\nSigma Lithium's environmental license issuances did not trigger the INCRA\nframework because Quilombola community authorization was legally required only\nafter it had been officially recognized through a published RTID, as per\nInterministerial Ordinance No. 60/2015 and INCRA Normative Instruction No.\n111/2021.\n*\nAs the Quilombo did not have an RTID, the legal benchmark to measure\nenvironmental impact was governed by the Quilombo's physical location: its\nhouses are located on the opposite bank of the Jequitinhonha River,\napproximately 11 km from the Barreiro Pit and 8 to 9 km from the Xuxa\nPits-placing the Quilombo outside environmental impact areas of the Company's\nGrota do Cirilo.\n*\nThe 2.7 km distance falsely claimed by the Ngolo Lawsuit stems solely from\nthis new self-proclaimed RTID perimeter containing an anomalous measurement\n30x larger than the original baseline, which allocated a very large farm of\n1.5 km2 for each “alleged” Quilombola family.\n*\nSimilarly, FPIC (Free, Prior and Informed Consultation and Consent of the\nUN-ILO Convention 169) was not triggered because the RTID did not exist at the\ntime.\n*\nIllustratively, the following G20 countries that are Sigma Lithium clients\n(and/or competitors) are not signatories of UN-ILO Convention 169: United\nStates, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, Italy, Japan, South Korea,\nChina, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia.\n*\nSigma Lithium's Barreiro Pit had its environmental filing and deliberations\noccurring prior to the RTID.\n*\nIts permit also rests on incremental comfort and independent legal grounds,\nfollowing an additional specific assessment requested by FEAM, supported by a\nfavorable technical opinion from SEDESE, subject to dedicated\ncommunity-specific conditions (condicionante).\n*\nBarreiro Pit environmental license was unanimously approved by the CMI/COPAM.\n\nBRAZIL GENERAL ELECTIONS\n\nThe second round of Brazil's general elections will be concluded on October\n25. Therefore, despite its strong technical legal defense based on the rule of\nlaw and quantitative evidence, supported by maps and data, the Company\nbelieves that there is a potential scenario of a delayed legal decision by the\nFederal Court of Appeals.\n\nThere is also a scenario whereby a federal legal decision by the Federal Court\nof Appeals could be affected by \"qualitative negative bias about the mining\nindustry in general\", following the pattern of dissonance with Brazil's strong\ndemocratic rule of law of the Preliminary Federal Ruling against the Company\non the matter.\n* In the event of a negative ruling by the Federal Court of Appeals, the\nCompany will continue to follow the rule of law and seek a secondary appeal in\nthe superior federal courts, as per Brazil's strong democratic rule of law.\nSIGMA LITHIUM CREATED SHARED PROSPERITY, CARING FOR PEOPLE IN THE\nJEQUITINHONHA VALLEY\n\nSigma Lithium's social investment strategy reflects its long-term commitment\nto the Jequitinhonha Valley and its belief that it should contribute to shared\nand lasting local prosperity.\n\nThe Company has supported voluntary programs for economic inclusion, water,\nfood security, education, and drought resilience even prior to earning\nrevenues. The scale of Sigma Lithium social initiatives reflects their\ntransformational ambition, initiated prior to the Company commencing\noperations:\n*\nDona de Mim: More than 2,000 women have become entrepreneurs, benefiting from\nSigma's microcredit opportunities, supporting approximately 10,000 family\nmembers.\n*\nZero Drought: 1,400 rainwater-based irrigation reservoirs (\"barraginhas\") were\nbuilt to create climate/drought season resilience for approximately 5,600\nsmall-scale subsistence farmers.\n*\nsupporting approximately 22,400 rural family members.\n*\nWater for All: Enabled access to drinking water for 100% of Sigma Lithium's\nneighboring community.\n*\nEducation that Transforms: Sigma Lithium renovated and contributed to building\nlocal schools, sports facilities and a childcare center, including a\nstate-of-the-art STEM school SESI:\n*\nsupporting educational and extracurricular programs for approximately 776\nchildren, expanding opportunities for their future and approximately 1,500\nparents.\n\nABOUT SIGMA LITHIUM\n\nSigma Lithium Corporation (NASDAQ: SGML) (ASX: SAU) (TSXV: SGML) (BVMF:\nS2GM34) (\"Sigma Lithium\" or \"the Company\"), is the largest industrial-mineral\nproducer of lithium oxide concentrate in the Americas¹ and dedicated to\nindustrializing socially and environmentally sustainable lithium materials to\nsupply global producers of batteries for energy security. The Company runs one\nof the world's largest lithium production sites-the fifth largest\nindustrial-mineral complex for lithium oxide concentrate-at its Grota do\nCirilo operation in Brazil. Sigma Lithium currently has a nameplate capacity\nto industrialize 330,000 tonnes of lithium oxide concentrate on an annualized\nbasis at its mine and state-of-the-art Cleantech Industrial Plant.\n\nSigma Lithium is at the forefront of environmental and social sustainability\nin the electric battery materials supply chain: Its Cleantech Industrial Plant\ncombines the reuse of a near 100% of water, zero use of toxic chemicals, zero\ntailings mud dams and the use of 100% renewable electricity. For more than\nthree years Sigma Lithium has not experienced an accident with lost time.\n\nThe Company plans to resume in 2027 a Phase 2 expansion designed to close to\ndouble annual production capacity to 580,000 tonnes and plans a Phase 3\nexpansion to increase this further to 830,000 tonnes. For more information\nabout Sigma Lithium, visit our website\n(https://api.newsfilecorp.com/redirect/oPMYnHaBO1)\n\n(1) USGS.\n\nFOR INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT\n\nAnna Hartley, Vice President of Global Banking and Investor Relations\nanna.hartley@sigmalithium.com.br\n+44 7866 458 093\n\nMariana Bengtson, Investor Relations Manager\nmariana.bengtson@sigmalithium.com.br\n+55 11 9 2144 2750\n\nJessica Fertig, Investor Relations Advisor and International Media Contact\njessica@taumedia.com.au\n+61 408 855 855\n\nBrazilian Media Contact\nMedia@sigmalithium.com.br\n\nPLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA\n\nLinkedIn: Sigma Lithium (https://api.newsfilecorp.com/redirect/OA0gZIR2vq)\nInstagram: @sigmalithium\nX: @SigmaLithium\n\nASX STATEMENT\n\nThis announcement has been authorized for release by Sigma Lithium's CEO.\n\nFORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS\n\nThis news release includes certain \"forward-looking information\" under\napplicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including but not limited\nto statements relating to timing and costs related to the general business and\noperational outlook of the Company, the environmental footprint of tailings\nand positive ecosystem impact relating thereto, donation and upcycling of\ntailings, timing and quantities relating to tailings and Green Lithium,\nachievements and projections relating to the Zero Tailings strategy,\nachievement of ramp-up volumes, production estimates and the operational\nstatus of the Grota do Cirilo Project, and other forward-looking information.\nAll statements that address future plans, activities, events, estimates,\nexpectations, or developments that the Company believes, expects, or\nanticipates will or may occur is forward-looking information, including\nstatements regarding the potential development of mineral resources and\nmineral reserves which may or may not occur. Forward-looking information\ncontained herein is based on certain assumptions regarding, among other\nthings: general economic and political conditions; the stable and supportive\nlegislative, regulatory and community environment in Brazil; demand for\nlithium, including that such demand is supported by growth in the electric\nvehicle market; the Company's market position and future financial and\noperating performance; the Company's estimates of mineral resources and\nmineral reserves, including whether mineral resources will ever be developed\ninto mineral reserves; and the Company's ability to operate its mineral\nprojects including that the Company will not experience any materials or\nequipment shortages, any labor or service provider outages or delays or any\ntechnical issues. Although management believes that the assumptions and\nexpectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable,\nthere can be no assurance that these assumptions and expectations will prove\nto be correct. Forward-looking information inherently involves and is subject\nto risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to that the market\nprices for lithium may not remain at current levels; and the market for\nelectric vehicles and other large format batteries currently has limited\nmarket share and no assurances can be given for the rate at which this market\nwill develop, if at all, which could affect the success of the Company and its\nability to develop lithium operations. There can be no assurance that such\nstatements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events\ncould differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.\nAccordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking\ninformation. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or\nrevise any forward-looking information, whether because of new information,\nfuture events or otherwise, except as required by law. For more information on\nthe risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results\nto differ from current expectations, please refer to the current annual\ninformation form of the Company and other public filings available under the\nCompany's profile at www.sedarplus.com.\n\nNeither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that\nterm is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts\nresponsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.\n\n\nTo view the source version of this press release, please visit\nhttps://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/316911","article_body_html":"","raw_payload":{"data":{"id":"nNFC3fvwQ3-20261001","title":"Sigma Lithium Announces Its Operations Temporarily Paused Awaiting Ruling by Federal Court of Appeals; Maintains 2027 Guidance of 330,000t","author":"Newsfile Corp","ticker":"SGML","created":"2026-10-01T14:26:34.421Z","tickers":["SGML"],"exchange":"NASDAQ","article_body":"Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 1, 2026) - Sigma Lithium\nCorporation (NASDAQ: SGML) (ASX: SAU) (TSXV: SGML) (BVMF: S2GM34) (\"Sigma\nLithium\" or the \"Company\"), the largest producer of industrial-mineral lithium\noxide concentrate in the Americas¹, dedicated to supplying global producers\nof batteries with sustainable and traceable lithium materials, announces that\nall of its mining and industrial production was temporarily suspended\nyesterday, on September 30.\n\nThe suspension is a result of an atypical 15-day delay by the Federal Court of\nAppeals in reviewing the Company's legal defense (\"Emergency Motion For\nSuspensive Relief\").\n\nSigma Lithium confirms that it remains focused on advancing its expansion\nplans, expecting to deliver 330,000t of lithium oxide concentrate in FY 27.\nHowever, the Company will postpone by 3 months its 12-month guidance of\n240,000t.\n\nSigma Lithium will maintain the commercial and recycling operations that\nensure the circularity of 100% of its dry stacked tailings, selling\nhigh-purity lithium fines, generating cash flow and expecting to continue to\nself-fund the Company during the temporary suspension.\n\nFollowing this anomalous 15-day delay by the Federal Court of Appeals, the\nCompany received and acknowledged in the evening of September 29 an electronic\nnotification posted by FEAM, in legal conformity with the environmental\nprocess of Minas Gerais.\n\nHowever, the temporary suspension will generate significant negative economic\nimpact across 12 municipalities in the Vale do Jequitinhonha. As a key\neconomic growth engine in the region, Sigma Lithium has contributed to the\ncreation of 19,000 direct and indirect job positions, benefiting approximately\n80,000 people across 12 municipalities in one of the most economically\nunderserved regions of the State of Minas Gerais.\n\nBACKGROUND ON LOCAL FEDERAL JUDGE DECISION ON NGOLO LAWSUIT\n\nSigma Legal Defense technically challenged a preliminary emergency injunction\n(\"Preliminary Federal Ruling\") issued by a local Federal Court, in a lawsuit\nfiled by Ngolo (\"NGO Lawsuit\") requesting Minas Gerais state authorities to\nsuspend the Company's environmental licenses, breaching several terms of the\nTAC Agreement signed with Sigma Lithium.\n* Sigma Lithium's legal defense technically demonstrates that the Company's\ndistance to the houses of Quilombolas (descendants of enslaved Afro-Brazilians\nliving in rural settlements) is further than legal limits, not causing them\nadverse impacts.\nNGOLO's lawyer has allegedly been charged with defamation and slander by\nanother federal judge in a different Federal Court.\n\nThe NGO filed a federal lawsuit against not only Sigma Brazil, but also all of\nthe parties that have evaluated and decided to grant Sigma Lithium's\nenvironmental licenses since 2019:\n* The State Government of Minas Gerais.\n* FEAM (the Minas Gerais Environmental Authority).\n* INCRA (The Federal Government Body for Traditional Communities Rights).\nAdditionally, the Preliminary Federal Ruling was issued in dissonance with\nBrazil's strong democratic rule of law:\n*\nSigma Lithium's constitutional right to present a legal defense was violated\nby the local federal court in Teofilo Otoni.\n*\nThe Company did not receive any legal communication in connection with the\nPreliminary Federal Ruling, until almost one week after it was issued. \n*\nThe Preliminary Federal Ruling was issued as an \"emergency ruling\" despite the\nlack of any technical evidence to support the Company's \"imminent urgent\"\noperational impacts on the Quilombolas, by a federal judge acting on weekend\nduty, when appeals courts were closed during a holiday weekend.\n*\nSigma Lithium's Grota do Cirilo complex falls outside the Quilombo and the\nlegal distance of environmental impact determined by Brazilian law.\n*\nThe Company has not caused any negative impact on the Quilombola community\n(atmospheric, water, acoustic, anthropological, substantive, or structural)\nand quantitative measurements of Sigma Lithium environmental impacts were not\npresented in the Ngolo Lawsuit.\n*\nA previous request for independent expert technical evidence to evaluate the\nCompany's operational impacts on the Quilombo (atmospheric, water, acoustic,\nanthropological, substantive, or structural) has been denied by the Federal\nCourt in Teofilo Otoni.\n*\nSigma Lithium's environmental licenses are a \"Vested Rights and Established\nLegal Status\" protected under the rule of law:\n*\nArticle 24 of the LINDB (Law of Introduction to the Norms of Brazilian Law)\nprohibits invalidating acts based on subsequent changes in administrative\ninterpretation.\n*\nArticle 35 of INCRA Normative Instruction No. 111/2021 provides that, for an\nRTID published during ongoing operations, the required measures consist of\ncomplementary studies and mitigation actions-not the suspension of permits.\n\nBACKGROUND ON QUILOMBOS\n\nQuilombos are Afro-Brazilians living in heritage rural settlements established\nby slaves. Sigma Lithium believes that legal rights of Quilombos must be\nrealized through the prospective instruments provided by the Brazilian legal\nframework, rather than autocratically and retroactively ruling lawful acts\nduly issued by the State.\n\nSince 2017, when A10 Responsible Investments Impact Fund (\"A10 Fund\") became\nits controlling shareholder, Sigma Lithium has been consistently and\nquantitatively demonstrating that:\n*\nThe Company neither operates nor holds any mining concessions or assets within\neither the original or the newly claimed areas proposed for recognition (RTID)\nas Quilombolas.\n*\nSince 2017, its Grota do Cirilo Project has been measured to be further from\nthe Afro-Brazilian heritage community than the applicable legal distance\nthreshold.\n*\nThe government official registry did not indicate any Quilombola community\nwithin Sigma Lithium's Grota do Cirilo Project when its environmental licenses\nwere issued.\n*\nSigma Lithium's environmental licenses were issued and/or deliberated by the\nState of Minas Gerais between May 2019 and April 2023, predating the technical\nreport self-issued by the expert hired by the Quilombola (\"RTID\").\n*\nRTID self-proclaimed public notices for the Baú Community (the Quilombola\nobject of the Preliminary Federal Ruling) were published on November 24 and\n27, 2023.\n*\nSigma Lithium's environmental license issuances did not trigger the INCRA\nframework because Quilombola community authorization was legally required only\nafter it had been officially recognized through a published RTID, as per\nInterministerial Ordinance No. 60/2015 and INCRA Normative Instruction No.\n111/2021.\n*\nAs the Quilombo did not have an RTID, the legal benchmark to measure\nenvironmental impact was governed by the Quilombo's physical location: its\nhouses are located on the opposite bank of the Jequitinhonha River,\napproximately 11 km from the Barreiro Pit and 8 to 9 km from the Xuxa\nPits-placing the Quilombo outside environmental impact areas of the Company's\nGrota do Cirilo.\n*\nThe 2.7 km distance falsely claimed by the Ngolo Lawsuit stems solely from\nthis new self-proclaimed RTID perimeter containing an anomalous measurement\n30x larger than the original baseline, which allocated a very large farm of\n1.5 km2 for each “alleged” Quilombola family.\n*\nSimilarly, FPIC (Free, Prior and Informed Consultation and Consent of the\nUN-ILO Convention 169) was not triggered because the RTID did not exist at the\ntime.\n*\nIllustratively, the following G20 countries that are Sigma Lithium clients\n(and/or competitors) are not signatories of UN-ILO Convention 169: United\nStates, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, Italy, Japan, South Korea,\nChina, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia.\n*\nSigma Lithium's Barreiro Pit had its environmental filing and deliberations\noccurring prior to the RTID.\n*\nIts permit also rests on incremental comfort and independent legal grounds,\nfollowing an additional specific assessment requested by FEAM, supported by a\nfavorable technical opinion from SEDESE, subject to dedicated\ncommunity-specific conditions (condicionante).\n*\nBarreiro Pit environmental license was unanimously approved by the CMI/COPAM.\n\nBRAZIL GENERAL ELECTIONS\n\nThe second round of Brazil's general elections will be concluded on October\n25. Therefore, despite its strong technical legal defense based on the rule of\nlaw and quantitative evidence, supported by maps and data, the Company\nbelieves that there is a potential scenario of a delayed legal decision by the\nFederal Court of Appeals.\n\nThere is also a scenario whereby a federal legal decision by the Federal Court\nof Appeals could be affected by \"qualitative negative bias about the mining\nindustry in general\", following the pattern of dissonance with Brazil's strong\ndemocratic rule of law of the Preliminary Federal Ruling against the Company\non the matter.\n* In the event of a negative ruling by the Federal Court of Appeals, the\nCompany will continue to follow the rule of law and seek a secondary appeal in\nthe superior federal courts, as per Brazil's strong democratic rule of law.\nSIGMA LITHIUM CREATED SHARED PROSPERITY, CARING FOR PEOPLE IN THE\nJEQUITINHONHA VALLEY\n\nSigma Lithium's social investment strategy reflects its long-term commitment\nto the Jequitinhonha Valley and its belief that it should contribute to shared\nand lasting local prosperity.\n\nThe Company has supported voluntary programs for economic inclusion, water,\nfood security, education, and drought resilience even prior to earning\nrevenues. The scale of Sigma Lithium social initiatives reflects their\ntransformational ambition, initiated prior to the Company commencing\noperations:\n*\nDona de Mim: More than 2,000 women have become entrepreneurs, benefiting from\nSigma's microcredit opportunities, supporting approximately 10,000 family\nmembers.\n*\nZero Drought: 1,400 rainwater-based irrigation reservoirs (\"barraginhas\") were\nbuilt to create climate/drought season resilience for approximately 5,600\nsmall-scale subsistence farmers.\n*\nsupporting approximately 22,400 rural family members.\n*\nWater for All: Enabled access to drinking water for 100% of Sigma Lithium's\nneighboring community.\n*\nEducation that Transforms: Sigma Lithium renovated and contributed to building\nlocal schools, sports facilities and a childcare center, including a\nstate-of-the-art STEM school SESI:\n*\nsupporting educational and extracurricular programs for approximately 776\nchildren, expanding opportunities for their future and approximately 1,500\nparents.\n\nABOUT SIGMA LITHIUM\n\nSigma Lithium Corporation (NASDAQ: SGML) (ASX: SAU) (TSXV: SGML) (BVMF:\nS2GM34) (\"Sigma Lithium\" or \"the Company\"), is the largest industrial-mineral\nproducer of lithium oxide concentrate in the Americas¹ and dedicated to\nindustrializing socially and environmentally sustainable lithium materials to\nsupply global producers of batteries for energy security. The Company runs one\nof the world's largest lithium production sites-the fifth largest\nindustrial-mineral complex for lithium oxide concentrate-at its Grota do\nCirilo operation in Brazil. Sigma Lithium currently has a nameplate capacity\nto industrialize 330,000 tonnes of lithium oxide concentrate on an annualized\nbasis at its mine and state-of-the-art Cleantech Industrial Plant.\n\nSigma Lithium is at the forefront of environmental and social sustainability\nin the electric battery materials supply chain: Its Cleantech Industrial Plant\ncombines the reuse of a near 100% of water, zero use of toxic chemicals, zero\ntailings mud dams and the use of 100% renewable electricity. For more than\nthree years Sigma Lithium has not experienced an accident with lost time.\n\nThe Company plans to resume in 2027 a Phase 2 expansion designed to close to\ndouble annual production capacity to 580,000 tonnes and plans a Phase 3\nexpansion to increase this further to 830,000 tonnes. For more information\nabout Sigma Lithium, visit our website\n(https://api.newsfilecorp.com/redirect/oPMYnHaBO1)\n\n(1) USGS.\n\nFOR INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT\n\nAnna Hartley, Vice President of Global Banking and Investor Relations\nanna.hartley@sigmalithium.com.br\n+44 7866 458 093\n\nMariana Bengtson, Investor Relations Manager\nmariana.bengtson@sigmalithium.com.br\n+55 11 9 2144 2750\n\nJessica Fertig, Investor Relations Advisor and International Media Contact\njessica@taumedia.com.au\n+61 408 855 855\n\nBrazilian Media Contact\nMedia@sigmalithium.com.br\n\nPLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA\n\nLinkedIn: Sigma Lithium (https://api.newsfilecorp.com/redirect/OA0gZIR2vq)\nInstagram: @sigmalithium\nX: @SigmaLithium\n\nASX STATEMENT\n\nThis announcement has been authorized for release by Sigma Lithium's CEO.\n\nFORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS\n\nThis news release includes certain \"forward-looking information\" under\napplicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including but not limited\nto statements relating to timing and costs related to the general business and\noperational outlook of the Company, the environmental footprint of tailings\nand positive ecosystem impact relating thereto, donation and upcycling of\ntailings, timing and quantities relating to tailings and Green Lithium,\nachievements and projections relating to the Zero Tailings strategy,\nachievement of ramp-up volumes, production estimates and the operational\nstatus of the Grota do Cirilo Project, and other forward-looking information.\nAll statements that address future plans, activities, events, estimates,\nexpectations, or developments that the Company believes, expects, or\nanticipates will or may occur is forward-looking information, including\nstatements regarding the potential development of mineral resources and\nmineral reserves which may or may not occur. Forward-looking information\ncontained herein is based on certain assumptions regarding, among other\nthings: general economic and political conditions; the stable and supportive\nlegislative, regulatory and community environment in Brazil; demand for\nlithium, including that such demand is supported by growth in the electric\nvehicle market; the Company's market position and future financial and\noperating performance; the Company's estimates of mineral resources and\nmineral reserves, including whether mineral resources will ever be developed\ninto mineral reserves; and the Company's ability to operate its mineral\nprojects including that the Company will not experience any materials or\nequipment shortages, any labor or service provider outages or delays or any\ntechnical issues. Although management believes that the assumptions and\nexpectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable,\nthere can be no assurance that these assumptions and expectations will prove\nto be correct. Forward-looking information inherently involves and is subject\nto risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to that the market\nprices for lithium may not remain at current levels; and the market for\nelectric vehicles and other large format batteries currently has limited\nmarket share and no assurances can be given for the rate at which this market\nwill develop, if at all, which could affect the success of the Company and its\nability to develop lithium operations. There can be no assurance that such\nstatements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events\ncould differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.\nAccordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking\ninformation. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or\nrevise any forward-looking information, whether because of new information,\nfuture events or otherwise, except as required by law. For more information on\nthe risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results\nto differ from current expectations, please refer to the current annual\ninformation form of the Company and other public filings available under the\nCompany's profile at www.sedarplus.com.\n\nNeither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that\nterm is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts\nresponsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.\n\n\nTo view the source version of this press release, please visit\nhttps://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/316911"},"type":"article","timestamp":"2026-10-01T14:26:34.460439655Z","server_sent_at_ms":1790864794460},"received_at":"2026-10-01T14:26:34.615Z","source_url":"https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/316911"},"analysis":{"id":"147125","press_release_id":"158498","analysis_json":{"industry":{"label":"Metals & Mining","sector":"Materials"},"redFlags":["complete halt of all mining and industrial production at sole operating complex","12-month production guidance (240,000t) postponed by 3 months","risk of adverse Federal Court of Appeals ruling, potentially influenced by pre-election 'negative bias' against mining","ongoing litigation could threaten environmental licenses for Grota do Cirilo"],"eventType":"legal_litigation","narrative":"Sigma Lithium suspended all mining and industrial production on September 30 pending a Federal Court of Appeals ruling on its Emergency Motion for Suspensive Relief, following an atypical 15-day review delay.\n\nThe company maintains its FY2027 target of 330,000t of lithium concentrate but postponed its 12-month 240,000t guidance by three months, and will rely on commercial and recycling operations to self-fund during the halt.\n\nThe suspension stems from an NGO lawsuit by Ngolo seeking to void the company's environmental licenses over Quilombola community distance claims, which Sigma disputes with distance measurements of roughly 8-11 km. The company flags a risk of delayed or negatively biased rulings ahead of Brazil's October 25 election runoff and would pursue secondary appeals if the ruling is adverse.","sentiment":"bearish","agentHooks":{"shouldPost":true,"suggestedAngle":"Full production halt at Grota do Cirilo pending appeals court ruling -- binary legal overhang with guidance slippage already acknowledged."},"keyFigures":{"guidance":"Maintains FY2027 guidance of 330,000t lithium oxide concentrate; 12-month guidance of 240,000t postponed by 3 months","customDimensions":{"suspension_start":"September 30","court_review_delay":"15 days","fy27_target_tonnes":330000,"nameplate_capacity_tonnes":330000,"guidance_postponement_months":3,"phase2_capacity_target_tonnes":580000,"phase3_capacity_target_tonnes":830000,"postponed_12m_guidance_tonnes":240000}},"quotedText":"all of its mining and industrial production was temporarily suspended yesterday, on September 30","namedEntities":{"people":[{"name":"Anna Hartley","role":"VP of Global Banking and Investor Relations"},{"name":"Mariana Bengtson","role":"Investor Relations Manager"},{"name":"Jessica Fertig","role":"Investor Relations Advisor and International Media Contact"}],"products":["lithium oxide concentrate","Grota do Cirilo operation"],"companies":[{"name":"Sigma Lithium Corporation","ticker":"SGML","relationship":"filer"},{"name":"FEAM (Minas Gerais Environmental Authority)","relationship":"regulator"},{"name":"INCRA","relationship":"regulator"},{"name":"Ngolo","relationship":"plaintiff NGO"},{"name":"A10 Responsible Investments Impact Fund","relationship":"controlling shareholder"}],"dollarAmounts":[]},"materialImpact":{"score":4,"reasoning":"Issuer-authored disclosure that ALL mining and industrial production at Grota do Cirilo is temporarily suspended pending a Federal Court of Appeals ruling, with the 12-month 240,000t guidance pushed back 3 months. A full production halt at the company's sole operating complex is highly material, though not as severe as a permanent shutdown."},"tickerRelevance":{"others":[{"ticker":"SAU","relevance":"subsidiary listing (ASX)"},{"ticker":"S2GM34","relevance":"subsidiary listing (BVMF)"}],"primary":"SGML"},"globalImportance":45,"audienceRelevance":35,"eventTypeSecondary":["operations_update","regulatory"],"importanceComponents":{"tickerTier":"small-cap","eventGravity":"full production suspension pending court ruling","sectorWeight":"lithium/EV supply chain interest","issuerAuthored":true}},"event_type":"legal_litigation","event_type_secondary":["operations_update","regulatory"],"sentiment":"bearish","material_impact_score":4,"narrative":"Sigma Lithium suspended all mining and industrial production on September 30 pending a Federal Court of Appeals ruling on its Emergency Motion for Suspensive Relief, following an atypical 15-day review delay.\n\nThe company maintains its FY2027 target of 330,000t of lithium concentrate but postponed its 12-month 240,000t guidance by three months, and will rely on commercial and recycling operations to self-fund during the halt.\n\nThe suspension stems from an NGO lawsuit by Ngolo seeking to void the company's environmental licenses over Quilombola community distance claims, which Sigma disputes with distance measurements of roughly 8-11 km. The company flags a risk of delayed or negatively biased rulings ahead of Brazil's October 25 election runoff and would pursue secondary appeals if the ruling is adverse.","key_figures":{"guidance":"Maintains FY2027 guidance of 330,000t lithium oxide concentrate; 12-month guidance of 240,000t postponed by 3 months","customDimensions":{"suspension_start":"September 30","court_review_delay":"15 days","fy27_target_tonnes":330000,"nameplate_capacity_tonnes":330000,"guidance_postponement_months":3,"phase2_capacity_target_tonnes":580000,"phase3_capacity_target_tonnes":830000,"postponed_12m_guidance_tonnes":240000}},"named_entities":{"people":[{"name":"Anna Hartley","role":"VP of Global Banking and Investor Relations"},{"name":"Mariana Bengtson","role":"Investor Relations Manager"},{"name":"Jessica Fertig","role":"Investor Relations Advisor and International Media Contact"}],"products":["lithium oxide concentrate","Grota do Cirilo operation"],"companies":[{"name":"Sigma Lithium Corporation","ticker":"SGML","relationship":"filer"},{"name":"FEAM (Minas Gerais Environmental Authority)","relationship":"regulator"},{"name":"INCRA","relationship":"regulator"},{"name":"Ngolo","relationship":"plaintiff NGO"},{"name":"A10 Responsible Investments Impact Fund","relationship":"controlling shareholder"}],"dollarAmounts":[]},"model_name":"glm-5.3-flashx","prompt_hash":"sha256:727b4b9429a443af","schema_hash":"sha256:05005c02d9cffac9","created_at":"2026-10-01T14:26:43.252Z","global_importance":45,"audience_relevance":35,"importance_components":{"tickerTier":"small-cap","eventGravity":"full production suspension pending court ruling","sectorWeight":"lithium/EV supply chain interest","issuerAuthored":true}},"durationMs":8627,"modelName":"glm-5.3-flashx"}}