VANCOUVER, BC, May 28, 2026  /CNW/ - BQE Water Inc. (TSXV: BQE), a leader in the treatment and management of mine impacted waters, is pleased to release its interim consolidated financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2026.

"Our Q1 2026 results were unable to match our exceptionally strong Q1 2025, which was unpinned by BQE's response to an emergency environmental disaster in the Yukon. The first quarter for the Company is historically slow due to seasonal revenue patterns and limited metal recovery activity in China. Our Q1 2026 bottom line was also affected by one-time budgeted expenses associated with taking over the Britannia Mine treatment facility operation under a 20-year contract, and higher expenses to support the Company's growth plan, mainly from increasing of head office staff and completing our new aquatic toxicology laboratory," said David Kratochvil, President & CEO of BQE Water. "Our outlook for 2026 as a whole is positive, as we anticipate continuing our long-term operations at the nine sites across Canada, US, and China, new short-term operations in Western Canada, and steady increase in our technical advisory and engineering design services through 2026."

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

• Revenues under GAAP of $4.8 million and Proportional Revenues of $5.3 million in Q1 2026, compared to $7.4 million and $7.9 million in Q1 2025.
• Gross margin of $1.2 million in Q1 2026 compared to $3.2 million in Q1 2025, a $2.0 million decrease.
• Net loss of $1.3 million in Q1 2026 compared to net income of $1.7 million in Q1 2025.
• Loss per share of $0.98 in Q1 2026 compared to earnings per share of $1.34 in Q1 2025.
• Adjusted EBITDA loss of $1.1 million in Q1 2026 compared to income of $1.9 million in Q1 2025.
• Working capital of $20.0 million at March 31, 2026, compared to $21.4 million at December 31, 2025, a 7% decrease.

Selected financial results are as follows:

COMMENTARY AND OUTLOOK

Our Q1 2026 financial results were unable to match our exceptionally strong Q1 2025 as explained below. Q1 has historically been our seasonally weakest quarter as several of the Company's long-term operations generate little or no revenue during the northern hemisphere winter months and our metal recovery operations in China are modest at best due to the dry season. Over the last seven years, the Company recorded positive net income only twice – in Q1 2022 and Q1 2025.

Looking specifically at Q1 2026 when compared to Q1 2025, there were three primary factors at play:

Our outlook for 2026 as a whole is positive, particularly in the following areas:

• Operational Services. Field operations are ramping up with two new contracts – ERDC in the Yukon and Canadian Royalties Inc. in Quebec – and operations at Britannia Mine are expected to stabilize and contribute positively to our financial results over the remainder of the year.
• Short-term Operations. We expect our short-term operations revenue to increase further as we are in advanced stages of contracting for operations with three other sites in Western Canada in 2026.
• Advisory and Design. Based on active engineering design projects, the value of our technical services is expected to increase steadily as we move through 2026.

In summary, while ongoing staff training and development will weigh on our margins over the next few quarters, these investments are considered essential to the Company's growth goals. Notably, we continue to observe a marked increase in business activity in the mining industry, with permitting, pre-feasibility, and feasibility studies for major projects being initiated across all key jurisdictions. We believe this activity is indicative of the early stages of an upswing in capital spending in the industry, which we expect will provide a strong tailwind to our business over the next few years. At the same time, we are always mindful of current geopolitical and market uncertainties and are prepared to pivot as required to prioritize profitability while continuing to pursue disciplined growth.

OPERATIONAL SERVICES HIGHLIGHTS

Our operational services consist of the operation or technical supervision of water treatment plants, which generate recurring revenues from three main sources: sales of recovered metals, water treatment fees and operations support fees. The Company's operations by source of revenue are as follows:

JCC-BQE Joint Venture Operations

Our 50/50 joint venture with partner Jiangxi Copper Company ("JCC") operates three water treatment plants at Dexing Mine and at Yinshan Mine in Jiangxi province of China. The volume of water treated, and metals recovered by the plants fluctuate seasonally depending on precipitation levels in the region. The operating results for Q1 2026 are as follows:

In Q1 2026, all three plants met mechanical availability and process performance set by the Company. When compared to Q1 2025, the volume of water treated decreased by 23%, the mass of copper recovered decreased by 16%, and the mass of zinc recovered decreased by 58%. Such changes in water volume and metal grade in feed water from period to period are largely the result of environmental conditions beyond the control of the joint venture.

MWT-BQE Joint Venture Operations

Our 20% share of MWT-BQE is with our 80% partner Beijing MWT Water Treatment Project Limited Company ("MWT") and together we operate a water treatment plant at a smelter in Shandong province of China. MWT-BQE generates revenues from the sale of zinc and copper recovered from smelter wastewater. Operating results for Q1 2026 are as follows:

BQE Water Operations

The number of operating days contributing to water treatment or support fees for three months ended March 31, 2026, are as follows:

The volume of water treated by geographic location for the three months ended March 31, 2026, are as follows:

The Company, with our Inuit partner Nuvumiut Development, operates four water treatment plants at Raglan Mine for Glencore Canada Corporation ("Glencore"). The plants at Raglan Mine usually are shut down in the first quarter as water stored in the outdoor reservoirs was frozen. During Q1 2026, as the temperature was warm enough, our team extended the 2025 operating season till mid-January of 2026. We expect to restart water treatment for the 2026 season in late May.

In 2021, we began operations of the Zhongkuang SART (sulphidication-acidification-recycling-thickening) plant and the Zhaojin SART plant at metallurgical facilities in China. Both plants have been under our technical supervision since the start of full production. In September 2025, we commissioned the third SART plant at Shandong Gold, and starting October 2025, our team has been providing ongoing technical supervision.

In 2022, we began operations of a treatment plant utilizing our Selen-IX™ process to remove selenium from ash pond water for WesTech Engineering ("WesTech"). In Q1 2026, our team continued at site providing water treatment services with the Selen-IX™ circuit to manage the presence of selenium in the feed.

In 2022, we completed the commissioning of a treatment plant utilizing a combination of nanofiltration and our proprietary selenium electroreduction process for the simultaneous removal of selenium and sulphate from mine water for a base metal project in the American Southwest. In August 2023, our team completed the performance test milestone for a second newly constructed selenium removal water treatment plant which entered the operation phase. In Q1 2026, our team continued onsite to provide operations support and technical supervision at the treatment plants.

In October 2025, we completed the commissioning of a Selen-IX™ treatment plant located at the Coeur Wharf Mine in South Dakota and began providing routine operation support. In Q1 2026, our team continued at site to provide onsite and offsite support to the selenium removal circuit to manage the presence of selenium in the feed.

In January 2026, we assumed operational responsibility to provide operations and maintenance services for the Britannia Mine water treatment plant for the BC government over a 20-year arrangement. This High-Density Sludge lime treatment plant neutralizes acidity and removes heavy metals, primarily copper and zinc, from the mine water collected in the legacy underground workings prior to its discharge into Howe Sound. In Q1 2026, our team completed a smooth transition and began treating water daily without interruptions.

In February 2026, we initiated an annual operation support arrangement with an integrated lead smelter-recycling facility in Eastern Canada. Prior to such arrangement, we completed an upgrade to the existing treatment system, implemented a new sulphate removal stage to a discharge limit of less than 1,500 mg/L and provided short-term operations support for the newly upgraded facility. In Q1 2026, our team has been providing ongoing site support and technical supervision.

TECHNICAL SERVICES HIGHLIGHTS

BQE Water's technical expertise and IP are applicable globally across broad areas of water management. Highlights of some of our technical services and technical innovation projects during Q1 2026 are summarized below.

Short-term Operations Services

• Resumed providing water treatment operations services for the temporary emergency treatment system at the Eagle Gold Mine in the Yukon.

Trusted Advisory Services (Water Management and Water Studies)

• Completed the preliminary engineering design of a long-term water treatment system for the Eagle Mine to transition from the temporary emergency response to a new system fit for purpose and allowing compliance over a wide range of project scenarios, including a mine re-start.
• Completed a preliminary technical assessment of applying the company's BioSulphide process as part of mine closure for an existing copper mine approaching the end-of-life in Mexico. 
• Completed lab testing of nickel and cobalt recovery from acid mine water at an existing operation at one of the major metal producers in Africa.
• Completed laboratory scale testing of rhenium recovery from wastewater produced by gas scrubber blowdown in Chile.
• Completed a preliminary assessment of water treatment to enable water reuse for mineral flotation in Mexico.
• Continued with detailed engineering for a water treatment system using ion exchange to expand rhenium production at an existing facility in Eastern Canada.
• Continued supporting the procurement and installation of a temporary contingency treatment system at the Gibraltar mine in BC.
• Continued to provide field operations and engineering design services for a water treatment system integrated into a rare earth extraction project in Brazil.
• Initiated the commissioning of ion exchange system for lithium brine purification and initiated assistance with installation for a customer in Western Canada.
• Initiated a review and optimization study for an existing desalination plant supplying fresh water to a copper mine in Chile.
• Resumed providing water management and treatment design advisory services to the KSM project in BC.
• Resumed providing water management and treatment design advisory services to a new mine undergoing permitting in the Yukon.
• Resumed providing water treatment advisory services to a new project in permitting stage in Argentina.
• Resumed providing water treatment advisory services to the Kemess project in BC.

Cyanide Management (Destruction and Recycle)

• Continued to provide plant engineering design services requiring the end-of-pipe cyanide level below 8 ppb to a project in the US.
• Initiated detailed engineering for SART integrated into the New Britannia mill in Manitoba, Canada.
• Completed the engineering design for construction of a SART plant at a new mine under development in Mexico.
• Initiated field assessment and bench scale testing to support SART integration into an existing mine in Turkey.
• Performed field troubleshooting of a cyanide destruction circuit at a mine in the US.

Aquatic Toxicology Services

• Continued the testing involving investigation of water quality on early life stages of trout for a client in BC.
• Continued the development of nitrate guidelines for a client in Alberta.

SELECTED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

For a complete set of Financial Statements and MD&A, please go to www.bqewater.com.

NON-GAAP MEASURES

The Company uses non-GAAP financial measures to supplement our consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (IFRS), or GAAP, to enhance overall understanding of the Company's current financial performance with investors and observers. Proportional Revenues and Adjusted EBITDA are reconciled as follows:

Proportional Results

To provide additional insight into our financial results, certain statements in this MD&A disclose the effective portion of results we would have reported if our Chinese joint venture operations had been proportionately integrated and are referred to as BQE Water's proportional share ("Proportional"). All Proportional financial measures disclosed in this MD&A are non-GAAP measures.

Proportional Revenues

This non-GAAP financial measure of Proportional Revenue adds BQE Water's share of revenues from its China joint ventures to the Company's revenues reported under GAAP. Proportional Revenues for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, are as follows:

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA ("earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization") is intended to provide additional information only and does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. It should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Consequently, the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA enables shareholders to better understand the underlying financial performance of our business through the eyes of management. Adjusted EBITDA includes adjustments of the Company's Proportional share of joint venture results. The following table reconciles this non-GAAP measure to the most directly comparable IFRS measure of net income:

About BQE Water

BQE Water is a service provider specializing in water treatment and management for metals mining, smelting and refining. We are helping to transform the way the industry thinks about water in the context of natural resource projects by offering services and expertise which enables more sustainable water management practices and improved overall project performance at reduced risks. BQE Water invests in innovation and has developed unique intellectual property through the commercialization of several new technologies at mine sites around the world for organizations including Glencore, Jiangxi Copper, Freeport-McMoRan and the US EPA. BQE Water is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol BQE. Visit www.bqewater.com for more information.

The Toronto Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this release.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Certain information contained herein may not be based on historical fact and therefore constitutes "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. This includes without limitation statements containing the words "plan", "expect", "project", "estimate", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "may", "will" and other similar words or expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the Company's dependence on key personnel and contracts, uncertainty with respect to the profitability of the Company's technologies, competition, technology risk, the Company's ability to protect its intellectual property and proprietary information, fluctuations in commodity prices, currency risk, environmental regulation and the Company's ability to manage growth and other factors described in the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators at www.sedarplus.ca (including without limitation the factors described in the section entitled "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2025). Given these risks and uncertainties, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All forward-looking information contained herein is based on management's current expectations and the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update such forward-looking information to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law.

SOURCE BQE Water Inc.

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