Homeland Nickel Receives USFS Acceptance for Red Flat Drill Program, Closes Financing

Toronto, Ontario — September 17, 2026 — Leads & Copy — Homeland Nickel Inc. has received acceptance from the United States Forest Service (USFS) for its Plan of Operation (OpPlan) for a sonic drill program at the Red Flat Nickel Project. The OpPlan will now undergo NEPA (environmental) evaluation and cultural review, with field work already in progress. A revised OpPlan for the Cleopatra Nickel Project is slated for submission to the USFS next week.

The company has also completed a recompilation of existing data for both the Red Flat and Cleopatra projects. This effort, verified by a Qualified Person, will enable the production of updated Mineral Resource Estimates without necessitating further field work or the duplication of original auger hole drilling. These reports are expected to expedite Homeland Nickel's timelines for an Initial Assessment Report on Cleopatra in SK-1300 format, adhering to United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosure requirements, and a Preliminary Economic Assessment for Red Flat in NI 43-101 format, suitable for Canadian regulatory filings.

President and CEO Steve Balch expressed optimism about the USFS acceptance, stating, "The acceptance of our Plan of Operation by the Forest Service brings us much closer to our sonic drill program and we are hopeful we can complete this program in October subject to crew availability." He added that the ability to locate and integrate historical data into a searchable database will allow for new Mineral Resource Estimates for both Cleopatra and Red Flat. Balch anticipates that the SK-1300 format report for Cleopatra will assist Patriot Nickel in its upcoming US exchange listing. Following the availability of these reports, both Homeland and Patriot plan to proceed with preliminary economic assessments of Red Flat and Cleopatra, with an expected completion of one or both reports in Q4 2026, approximately a year ahead of schedule. This acceleration led to the renegotiation of NSR and milestone payments with RAB Capital, where Homeland issued an equivalent value of its common stock in lieu of cash payments and acquired all NSR rights.

In a separate financing update, Homeland Nickel announced the closing of its non-brokered private placement, raising C$3,040,000 through the sale of 8,000,000 units at C$0.38 per unit. Each unit consists of one common share and one-half of a common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant allows the holder to buy a common share at C$0.50 for 24 months post-closing. The proceeds are intended for property payment obligations, exploration activities, and general corporate purposes. The financing is subject to regulatory approvals, including final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange, and all issued securities are subject to a four-month hold period. Certain directors and officers participated in the financing, a related party transaction for which exemptions from formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements under MI 61-101 were relied upon due to market capitalization thresholds.

Homeland Nickel has also engaged AI Power Marketing Ltd. (AIPM) for media services, including the creation of a video interview with Randy Turner, President & CEO of Independence Gold Corp., for distribution across various online platforms. AIPM is an arm's length party to the company, and the agreement involves a one-time fee of C$20,000 plus applicable taxes. No stock options or equity compensation were granted as part of this engagement.

Homeland Nickel is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company focused on critical metal resources, with nine nickel projects in Oregon, USA. The Cleopatra Property holds a historical resource of approximately 40 Mt grading 0.93% nickel, recognized as the largest historical undeveloped nickel resource in the continental United States. Homeland Nickel's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol “SHL” and on the OTCQB as SRCGF.