Graphite Companies Join Forces for Spherical Graphite Development

TORONTO, March 29, 2016 - Elcora Advanced Materials Corp. (TSX VENTURE:ERA) ("Elcora"), Northern Graphite Corp. (TSX VENTURE:NGC) ("Northern"), Nouveau Monde Mining Enterprises Inc. (TSX VENTURE:NOU) (OTC PINK:NMGRF) (FRANKFURT:NM9) ("Nouveau Monde"), Metals of Africa Limited (ASX:MTA) ("MTA"), Coulometrics LLC ("Coulometrics") and a private industry partner are pleased to announce that they are jointly acquiring a micronizing and spheronizing mill to produce spherical graphite ("SPG"), a critical step in the production of anode material used in lithium ion batteries ("LIBs").

The mill will be added to Coulometrics' battery production and test facility. Considerable work has already been completed by Coulometrics to produce SPG and to evaluate many different suppliers of spheronizing equipment. Northern Graphite has financially supported most of this work and has agreed to share its current knowledge on spheronizing with the other participating companies. All of the participating companies will share in any spheronizing technologies that are developed going forward. The spheronizing equipment will be used to evaluate and optimize the yield of SPG from various graphite mine concentrates and to develop next generation and high-yield spheronization technology to meet the demanding cost targets for automotive LIB applications. Ultimately, the goal of all the parties is to achieve full qualification of their materials by LIB manufacturing companies.

The development and testing process will be lead by Dr. Edward Buiel who commented: "The addition of the spheronizing equipment will enable us to produce and test Coated Spherical Purified Graphite "C-SPG" from end to end within North America. This will rapidly advance our C-SPG development efforts and we believe it is the first real effort by junior graphite companies to address the needs of the LIB industry. It also demonstrates the commitment of those involved to develop next generation, high performance anode materials for LIBs which will provide a significant cost advantage and a greatly reduced environmental impact. They will also represent a major improvement over methods currently employed in China."

Coulometrics is a leading provider of energy storage consulting services and advanced battery component manufacturing services. Dr. Edward Buiel, owner of Coulometrics, has a Ph. D. in Physics and 20 years of experience developing carbon-based materials for lithium ion batteries and supercapacitors. Coulometrics has a unique combination of expertise that includes graphite processing for lithium ion batteries and full cell electrode coating, calendaring, cell assembly, and testing.

Elcora was founded in 2011 and has been structured to become a vertically integrated graphite & graphene company that mines, processes, refines graphite, and produces both the graphene and end graphene applications. As part of the vertical integration strategy, Elcora has secured high-grade graphene precursor graphite from its interest in the operation of the Ragedara mine in Sri Lanka. Elcora has developed a unique low cost effective process to make graphene that is commercially scalable. This combination means that Elcora has the tools and resources for graphene vertical integration. Ian Flint, Ph.D., P. Geo., is the Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101 who has reviewed and is responsible for the Elcora technical information presented in this news release.

Northern's Bissett Creek graphite deposit is an advanced, pre-development stage project that has a Feasibility Study and its major environmental permit. Subject to the completion of operational and species at risk permitting, which are at an advanced stage, Northern is in a position to commence construction in 2016 subject to the availability of financing. The Bissett Creek project is located close to infrastructure in eastern Canada, has the highest reported percentage of large/XL/XXL flake, and a reasonable capital cost.

Nouveau Monde owns the Matawinie graphite project on which the company delineated, in February 2016, a graphite resource estimate totaling 48.6 Mt at a grade of 3.97 % Cg in the Indicated Category and 34.7 Mt at a grade of 4.08 % Cg in the Inferred Category. The project is located in the Saint-Michel-des-Saints area, some 130 km north of Montreal, Quebec, Canada with direct access to all needed infrastructure, labor and green and affordable hydroelectricity. Nouveau Monde is developing its project with the highest corporate social responsibility standards and the lowest environmental footprint (targeting a net zero carbon emission operation). A 43-101 Preliminary Economical Assessment will be delivered around the end of Q2 2016.

The technical content of this press release was reviewed by Eric Desaulniers, M.Sc., P.Geo., a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 guidelines, except for information with respect to Elcora and MTA.

Metals of Africa Ltd (ASX:MTA) has successfully delineated, high quality and grade graphite resources in Mozambique, East Africa. The 100% owned Montepuez Resource boasts 61.6Mt @ 10.3% TGC and the nearby Balama Central Resource contains 16.3 Mt at 10.4% TGC that was defined in less than one month of drilling - both resources remain open in all directions. The company has uniquely positioned itself amongst its peers, to now quickly transition into development with an extremely low cost operating profile. MTA prides itself on its environmental best practice policies, zero harm and ongoing positive community development programs.

The information in this release that relates to MTA's Mineral Resources is based on information compiled by Mr. Robert Dennis who is a Member of Australian Institute of Geoscientists and a full time employee of RPM Limited. Mr. Dennis has sufficient experience which is relevant to the style of mineralization and type of deposit under consideration and to the activity which he is undertaking to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves.


This press release contains forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of statements that include words such as "could", "potential", "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "plan", "likely", "will" or other similar words or phrases. These statements are only current predictions and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. The Companies do not intend, and do not assume any obligation, to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.



Contact

Troy Grant, President and CEO
Elcora Advanced Materials Corp.
(902) 802-8847

Gregory Bowes, CEO
Northern Graphite Corp.
(613) 241-9959

Eric Desaulniers, President and CEO
Nouveau Monde Mining Enterprises Inc.
(819) 923-0333

Cherie Leeden, Managing Director
Metals of Africa Limited
+61 8 9322 7600