Aventis Energy Initiates Winter Drill Program at Corvo Uranium Project, Southeast Athabasca Basin
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aventis Energy Inc. (“Aventis” or the “Company”) (CSE: AVE | FRA: C0O0 | OTC: VBAMF) is pleased to announce that drilling activities (the “Program”) have commenced at the Company’s 12,364-hectare Corvo Uranium Project (“Corvo”, or the “Project”) located near Wollaston Lake in northeastern Saskatchewan (Please see Figure 1). Field crews arrived at the Project on February 6th, and drilling commenced on schedule on February 9th.
Highlights:
- Drilling Underway: Drilling activities began on February 9th, 2026. Approximately 2,500-3,000 metres are planned across eight (8) to ten (10) drill holes targeting shallow high-grade* basement-hosted uranium mineralization, beginning with the Manhattan target area. The Program is anticipated to span five (5) to six (6) weeks.
- Robust & Shallow Drill Targets: Drill plans are comprised of road accessible skid-supported diamond drilling focused on high-priority uranium targets refined by geophysical work completed by the Company in 2025, bolstered by recent prospecting and confirmation of strong radioactivity at surface (up to 8.10% U3O8 grab samples at Manhattan)1 within ideal uranium host rocks.
- Untapped Uranium Potential: One diamond drill will focus on high-priority target areas along prospective Xcite™ electromagnetic (“EM”) corridors overlain by high-resolution ground gravity data with the proven exploration thesis of focusing on major conductor trends associated with cross-cutting faults and surficial radioactivity expressions.
- Fully Funded: The Company is funding 100% of the Program and Standard Uranium Ltd. (“Standard”) is acting as operator.
Michael Mulberry, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, commented, “We are pleased to have commenced drilling at the Corvo Uranium Project. This campaign is designed to test the high-grade Manhattan Showing at depth, along with several high-priority shallow targets refined through our recent geophysical work and prospecting efforts. With drilling now underway and the Program fully funded, we look forward to advancing Corvo and reporting results as the Program progresses.”
Figure 1. Regional map of the Corvo Project. The Project is located sixty (60) km due east of Cameco’s McArthur River mine and forty-five (45) km northeast of Atha Energy’s Gemini Mineralized Zone (“GMZ”).
2026 Winter Drill Program
The Standard team arrived on site February 9th and diamond drilling on the first hole at Corvo in more than forty (40) years is currently underway. The winter Program will be comprised of approximately 2,500 to 3,000 metres of drilling at high-priority target areas following completion of Time Domain Electromagnetic and ground gravity surveys, and geophysical modeling last year. Corvo covers an area of 12,364 hectares across fourteen (14) mineral claims, located along highway 905 on the eastern margin of the Athabasca Basin.
Target Selection for 2026 Winter Drill Program
Targets were selected and prioritized through an iterative approach working in collaboration with Convolutions Geoscience Corporation. Recent prospecting and mapping across the Project outlined multiple outcrops of favourable uranium host-rocks, including radioactive metasediments and orthogneiss. Structural measurements and radioactivity mapping has further refined drill targets in the 2026 target areas.
Targets are ranked and prioritized based on geophysical signature, geological/structural setting, proximity to surficial uranium occurrences of interest, and the Company’s recent prospecting and mapping campaign.
Qualified Person Statement
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed, verified, and approved by Sean Hillacre, P.Geo., President and VP Exploration of Standard and a “qualified person” as defined in NI 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”).
Samples collected for analysis were sent to SRC Geoanalytical Laboratories (“SRC”) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for preparation, processing, and ICP-MS or ICP-OES multi-element analysis using total and partial digestion and boron by fusion. Radioactive samples were tested using the ICP1 uranium multi-element exploration package plus boron. All samples marked as radioactive upon arrival to the lab were also analyzed using the U3O8 assay (reported in wt.%). SRC is an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and Standards Council of Canada certified analytical laboratory. Blanks, standard reference materials, and repeats were inserted into the sample stream at regular intervals in accordance with Standard’s quality assurance/quality control (“QA/QC”) protocols. All samples passed internal QA/QC protocols and the results presented in this release are deemed complete, reliable, and repeatable.
Historical data disclosed in this news release relating to sampling results from previous operators are historical in nature. Neither the Company nor a qualified person has yet verified this data and therefore investors should not place undue reliance on such data. The Company’s future exploration work may include verification of the data. The Company considers historical results to be relevant as an exploration guide and to assess the mineralization as well as economic potential of exploration projects. Any historical grab samples disclosed are selected samples and may not represent true underlying mineralization.
Natural gamma radiation from rocks reported in this news release was measured in counts per second (“cps”) using a handheld RS-125 super-spectrometer and RS-120 super-scintillometer. Readers are cautioned that scintillometer readings are not uniformly or directly related to uranium grades of the rock sample measured and should be treated only as a preliminary indication of the presence of radioactive minerals. The RS-125 and RS-120 units supplied by Radiation Solutions Inc. (“RSI”) have been calibrated on specially designed Test Pads by RSI. Standard maintains an internal QA/QC procedure for calibration and calculation of drift in radioactivity readings through three test pads containing known concentrations of radioactive minerals. Internal test pad radioactivity readings are known and regularly compared to readings measured by the handheld scintillometers for QA/QC purposes.
References
1 News Release: Standard Uranium Confirms High-Grade Uranium Mineralization up to 8.10% U3O8 at Surface on the Corvo Project, https://standarduranium.ca/news-releases/standard-uranium-confirms-high-grade-uranium-mineralization-at-surface-on-the-corvo-project/
*The Company considers uranium mineralization with concentrations greater than 1.0 wt% U3O8 to be “high-grade”.
**The Company considers radioactivity readings greater than 65,535 counts per second (cps) on a handheld RS-125 Super-Spectrometer to be “off-scale”.
***The Company considers radioactivity readings greater than 300 counts per second (cps) on a handheld RS-125 Super-Spectrometer to be “anomalous”.
About Aventis Energy Inc.
Aventis Energy Inc. (CSE: AVE | FRA: C0O0 | OTC: VBAMF) is a mineral exploration company dedicated to the development of strategic projects comprised of battery, base and precious metals in stable jurisdictions. The Company is working to advance its Corvo Uranium & Sting Copper Project.
The Corvo Uranium property has historical drill holes intersected multiple intervals of uranium mineralization, notably along a strike length of 800 metres between historical drill holes TL-79-3 (0.116% U3O8 over 1.05 m) and TL-79-5 (0.065% U3O8 over 0.15 m)2. High-grade* Uranium at Surface with the Manhattan showing (1.19 to 5.98% U3O8) and SMDI showing 2052 (0.137% U3O8 and 2,300 ppm Th).
The Sting Copper Project covers approximately 12,700 hectares and recently had results of 54.8m at 0.32% Cu starting at a depth of 27.0m, with higher-grade intervals including six samples (≥0.5m length) ranging from 0.96% to 5.43% Cu. High grade samples of 0.5m at 2.85% Cu and 0.5m at 1.92% Cu with an additional broader interval of 31.1m at 0.27% Cu.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Michael Mulberry
Chief Executive Officer, Director
+1 (604) 229-9772
info@vitalbatterymetals.com
Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information
This news release includes certain “Forward-Looking Statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and “forward-looking information” under applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “target”, “plan”, “forecast”, “may”, “would”, “could”, “schedule” and similar words or expressions, identify forward-looking statements or information.
Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information relating to any future mineral production, liquidity, enhanced value and capital markets profile of Aventis, future growth potential for Aventis and its business, and future exploration plans are based on management’s reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on management’s experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things, the price of uranium, copper, gold and other metals; costs of exploration and development; the estimated costs of development of exploration projects; Aventis’ ability to operate in a safe and effective manner and its ability to obtain financing on reasonable terms.
This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of the Canadian securities laws. Statements, other than statements of historical fact, may constitute forward looking information and include, without limitation, statements with respect to the Project and its mineralization potential; the Company’s objectives, goals, or future plans with respect to the Project; the Company’s anticipated exploration programs at the Project; the expected benefits of conducting the Program; and completion of the Program. With respect to the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made numerous assumptions regarding, among other things, the geological, metallurgical, engineering, financial and economic advice that the Company has received is reliable and are based upon practices and methodologies which are consistent with industry standards. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. Known risk factors include, among others: fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of well results and the geology, continuity and grade of uranium, copper, gold and other metal deposits; uncertainty of estimates of capital and operating costs, recovery rates, production estimates and estimated economic return; the need for cooperation of government agencies in the exploration and development of properties and the issuance of required permits; the need to obtain additional financing to develop properties and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs or in construction projects and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals; increased costs and restrictions on operations due to compliance with environmental and other requirements; increased costs affecting the metals industry and increased competition in the metals industry for properties, qualified personnel, and management. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law.
The Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5a2a4a82-069d-4f1f-bef5-bc15c64d1c48
Figure 1
Regional map of the Corvo Project. The Project is located sixty (60) km due east of Cameco’s McArthur River mine and forty-five (45) km northeast of Atha Energy’s Gemini Mineralized Zone (“GMZ”).
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