Air Quality Permit For Its First-Of-A-Kind, Industrial Scale Solar Panel Processing Facility
VIRGINIA CITY, Nev., Nov. 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Comstock Inc. (NYSE: LODE) (“Comstock” and the “Company”) and Comstock Metals LLC (“Comstock Metals”), a leader in the responsible recycling of end-of-life solar panels with the only certified, north American, zero-landfill solution, announced today that it has received its notification of eligibility for an Air Quality Permit from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection – Bureau of Air Pollution Control (NDEP-BAPC), subject to certain normal compliance conditions and public notice periods, for the processing of waste solar panels and photovoltaics for its industry-scale materials recovery facility located in Silver Springs, NV. This timely approval keeps our scale-up plans for commissioning our first industry-scale facility in Silver Springs, NV, right on schedule.
This notification follows the recently received notification of eligibility for a Written Determination Permit from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection – Bureau of Sustainable Materials Management (NDEP-BSMM), also with the normal conditions and public notice period. These two major permits, once final, represent the complete scope of required regulatory approvals for commissioning the scale up of a facility designed for processing over 3 million panels per year from one, continuous production line, representing up to 100,000 tons per year of waste materials being processed. This facility integrates technologies for efficiently processing, conditioning, extracting, and recycling metal concentrates from photovoltaics. The Company previously reported that the equipment for the plant was ordered, and fabrication is also proceeding as planned with deliveries expected by year end, so that it can commence installation, testing, and commissioning of the industry-scale facility during the first quarter of 2026. The process for both Air and BSMM permits proceeded essentially as planned, since last Spring, when the final forms for both of these permits were submitted.
“We appreciate BAPC’s collaborative efforts in issuing this first major solar panel recycling Air Quality Permit and enabling the expansion of the only Nevada-based, zero-landfill, end-of-life solar panel solution serving this broad region and keeping these critical materials out of our landfills or from being sent offshore to foreign foundries, basically offshoring the problem,” said Dr. Fortunato Villamagna, President of Comstock Metals. “We are thankful for the strong working collaboration with our regulators and the remarkable support that we are experiencing from the broader community who increasingly understands and appreciates the critical societal value of preventing heavy metal contamination of our lands, water systems and communities.”
Most of the older U.S. solar panels in service have been deployed in the southwestern U.S., primarily California, Arizona, and Nevada, with decommissioning of these solar panels occurring now, accelerating supply and increasing the demand for environmentally responsible end-of-life solutions, negating potential legacy liability faced by our customers should the panels not be 100% recycled. Comstock has positioned itself to ensure the safe deconstruction and productive reuse of these important materials. Establishing our platform in Nevada establishes the leading solar recycling position over more than half the U.S. market for end-of-life panels and establishes a platform for rapid expansion across the rest of the United States.
“We have established both a technological and market leadership position in this rapidly growing end-of-life photovoltaic supply chain,” stated Corrado De Gasperis, Comstock’s Executive Chairman and CEO. “Our metals team is already carefully and strategically assessing additional processing and storage sites as we look to capitalize and expand our platform in this rapidly growing end-of-life environmental dilemma. Comstock Metals is the only zero-landfill, end-of-life solution for these wasted solar panels. We are setting the standard for this entire industry and positioning ourselves for rapid expansions.”
About Comstock Inc.
Comstock Inc. (NYSE: LODE) innovates and commercializes technologies, systems and supply chains that enable, support and sustain clean energy systems by efficiently, effectively, and expediently extracting and converting under-utilized natural resources into reusable metals, like silver, aluminum, gold, and other critical minerals, primarily from end-of-life photovoltaics. To learn more, please visit www.comstock.inc.
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Some of those risks and uncertainties include the risk factors set forth in our filings with the SEC and the following: adverse effects of climate changes or natural disasters; adverse effects of global or regional pandemic disease spread or other crises; global economic and capital market uncertainties; the speculative nature of gold or mineral exploration, and lithium, nickel and cobalt recycling, including risks of diminishing quantities or grades of qualified resources; operational or technical difficulties in connection with exploration, metal recycling, processing or mining activities; costs, hazards and uncertainties associated with precious and other metal based activities, including environmentally friendly and economically enhancing clean mining and processing technologies, precious metal exploration, resource development, economic feasibility assessment and cash generating mineral production; costs, hazards and uncertainties associated with metal recycling, processing or mining activities; contests over our title to properties; potential dilution to our stockholders from our stock issuances, recapitalization and balance sheet restructuring activities; potential inability to comply with applicable government regulations or law; adoption of or changes in legislation or regulations adversely affecting our businesses; permitting constraints or delays; challenges to, or potential inability to, achieve the benefits of business opportunities that may be presented to, or pursued by, us, including those involving battery technology and efficacy, quantum computing and generative artificial intelligence supported advanced materials development, development of cellulosic technology in bio-fuels and related material production; commercialization of cellulosic technology in bio-fuels and generative artificial intelligence development services; ability to successfully identify, finance, complete and integrate acquisitions, spin-offs or similar distribution transactions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, business combinations, asset sales, and investments that we may be party to in the future; changes in the United States or other monetary or fiscal policies or regulations; interruptions in our production capabilities due to capital constraints; equipment failures; fluctuation of prices for gold or certain other commodities (such as silver, zinc, lithium, nickel, cobalt, cyanide, water, diesel, gasoline and alternative fuels and electricity); changes in generally accepted accounting principles; adverse effects of war, mass shooting, terrorism and geopolitical events; potential inability to implement our business strategies; potential inability to grow revenues; potential inability to attract and retain key personnel; interruptions in delivery of critical supplies, equipment and raw materials due to credit or other limitations imposed by vendors; assertion of claims, lawsuits and proceedings against us; potential inability to satisfy debt and lease obligations; potential inability to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting; potential inability or failure to timely file periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission; potential inability to list our securities on any securities exchange or market or maintain the listing of our securities; and work stoppages or other labor difficulties. 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