US Department of Energy Recognizes Copper as a Critical Mineral for Clean Energy Technologies
September 20, 2023

bySarah Vega - Content Writer, The Assay


The US Department of Energy (DOE) has officially added copper to its critical materials list, marking the first time a US government agency has included copper on one of its official “critical” lists.


The European Union, India, Japan, Canada, and China have already taken similar steps.


The DOE released the 2023 Critical Materials Assessment, which evaluates materials for their importance to global clean energy technology supply chains, focusing on key materials that have a high risk of supply disruption and are integral to clean energy technologies.


Based on the results of the assessment, DOE has identified the 2023 DOE Critical Materials List of energy-specific materials that are critical (or nearly critical) up to 2035. The list will also help determine eligibility for tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act 48C.


The critical materials currently listed include aluminum, cobalt, dysprosium, electrical steel, fluorine, gallium, iridium, lithium, magnesium, natural graphite, neodymium, nickel, platinum, praseodymium, terbium, silicon, silicon carbide, and now copper.

Alejandro Moreno, acting assistant secretary for the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, said in a statement, “As our nation continues the transition to a clean energy economy, it is our responsibility to anticipate critical material supply chains needed to manufacture our most promising clean energy generation, transmission, storage, and end-use technologies; including solar panels, wind turbines, power electronics, lighting, and electric vehicles.”


Moreno added that detecting and modifying material criticality now was crucial.


“The Copper Development Association (CDA) congratulates the DOE on its thoughtful, forward-thinking analysis that resulted in copper’s inclusion on the Critical Materials list,” commented CEO of the CDA Andrew Kireta Jr., in a separate statement.


“Copper is a major contributor to US economic and national security. With copper demand projections doubling by 2035, primarily due to plans for the clean energy transition, electrification, and clean water infrastructure, the nation would be defenseless without electricity and copper’s vital role in its generation, transmission, and distribution.”


The CDA noted that inclusion on the critical materials list reflects the certainty that copper demand projections will require a boost in domestic production.


 © 2023 The Assay

VVC Grants Options

April 20, 2026
TORONTO, April 20, 2026 - VVC Exploration Corporation, dba VVC Resources, (“VVC”), (TSX-V:VVC and OTCQC:VVCVF) announces the following: Option Grant The Directors granted incentive stock options under its stock option plan, to officers, directors and consultants of the Company, to purchase up to an aggregate of 14,750,000 common shares, representing 2.58% of the outstanding shares of the Company. The stock options are exercisable at a price of CA$0.05 per share expiring April 20, 2036. Twenty five percent (25%) of the options granted will vest immediately with the remaining vesting at 25% every six months. The exercise price was fixed at the minimum allowable price by the TSX Venture Exchange policies. The options, granted in accordance with the provisions of the Company's stock option plan, are subject to the TSX Venture Exchange policies and the applicable securities laws. Of the Options granted, 32.2% were to Directors, 37.3% to Officers, 18.6% to Employees and 11.9% to Consultants of the Company.  About VVC Resources VVC engages in the exploration, development, and management of natural resources - specializing in scarce and increasingly valuable materials needed to meet the growing, high-tech demands of industries such as manufacturing, technology, medicine, space travel, and the expanding green economy. Our portfolio includes a diverse set of multi-asset, high-growth projects, comprising: Helium & industrial gas production in western U.S.; Gold & associated metals operations in northern Mexico; and Strategic investments in carbon sequestration and other green energy technologies. VVC is a Canada-based, publicly-traded company on the TSXV (TSX-V:VVC). To learn more, visit our website at: www.vvcresources.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

VVC – Strategic Exit of Gloria Copper Project in Mexico

November 18, 2025
TORONTO, Nov. 18, 2025 - VVC Exploration Corporation, dba VVC Resources ("VVC" or the "Company") (TSX-V: VVC; OTC: VVCVF) announces that, after a project review, it has strategically restructured its mining projects in Mexico. This project review encompassed multiple considerations, including ongoing maintenance costs, permitting authorizations, political climate, safety, upside potential and financeability of each project and probability of achieving the projects potential. After this review, the Company has decided to: Exit the Gloria Copper Project located near Samalayuca, State of Chihuahua, Mexico. This long-standing project of the Company is expensive to maintain and is in an area that has become more politically volatile with uncertain safety. The geological potential of the project is not in question, but the ability to achieve that potential is unclear. Focus all mining exploration activity on the Cumeral Gold Project. Cumeral is the Company’s highly prospective gold project in north central Sonora Mexico. This project, while not as advanced as the Gloria Copper Project, has a huge upside potential. It is in an area where there is strong local support for the project and a higher likelihood of permitting and implementation success. The Cumeral Gold Project is a 1,665-hectare property in northern Sonora near Imuris which exhibits quartz-vein–hosted gold in a detachment-fault/orogenic setting with a documented NNW–SSE mineralized trend of ~4 km. Historical work reported that ~36% of 407 grab/chip samples assayed 0.1–10 g/t Au; soil surveys outlined additional anomalies (47 samples >0.020 ppm Au); and air-track drilling intersected broad, near-surface intervals of 0.21–0.44 g/t Au over 6–26 m in key target areas. The Company will continue activities on the Cumeral Gold Project. Rationale and Next Steps The Company’s decision reflects consideration of cost discipline, safety and risk management. The exit from the Gloria Copper Project will reduce future cash outlays for care, maintenance, and permitting at amid uncertainty over permit viability and broader political conditions in Chihuahua State. Capital and management resources will be reallocated to the Cumeral Gold Project exploration, and to development of the Company’s helium/natural gas project in the Central Kansas Uplift (CKU) Project where existing infrastructure and near-term activities offer a clearer path to execution. « There are opportunity costs in every project, » said Jim Culver, CEO. « Exiting the Gloria Copper Project will allow the Company to concentrate resources on projects with an obvious direct and timely route to advancing development while maintaining discipline on risk and spending. » About VVC Resources VVC engages in the exploration, development, and management of natural resources - specializing in scarce and increasingly valuable materials needed to meet the growing, high-tech demands of industries such as manufacturing, technology, medicine, space travel, and the expanding green economy. Our portfolio includes a diverse set of multi-asset high-growth projects, comprising: Helium & industrial gas production in western U.S.; Gold & associated metals operations in northern Mexico; and Strategic investments in carbon sequestration and other green energy technologies. VVC is a Canada-based, publicly-traded company on the TSXV (TSX-V:VVC). To learn more, visit our website at: www.vvcresources.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. 
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