MAX Power and CEO Ran Narayanasamy Named Finalists For Three National Awards as Company Advances Commercial Evaluation of Canada’s First Confirmed Subsurface Natural Hydrogen System

14:59 Uhr  |  GlobeNewswire

Recognition at the 2026 Canadian Hydrogen Convention coincides with resource modeling and estimation at the Lawson Discovery, basin scale testing at Bracken, and the expansion of the Company's proprietary AI-assisted MAXX LEMI Platform

MAX Power Saskatchewan Natural Hydrogen Documentary Video
https://www.maxpowermining.com/NaturalHydrogen-NewEra/

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, March 05, 2026 -- MAX Power Mining Corp. (CSE: MAXX; OTC: MAXXF; FSE: 89N) ("MAX Power" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that CEO Ran Narayanasamy and the Company have just been selected as final nominees for three of nine awards to be presented at the 2026 Canadian Hydrogen Convention in Edmonton April 21-23, North America's premier event for hydrogen production, storage, and infrastructure. MAX Power is a finalist for the Hydrogen Project Award and the Digital Innovation Award, while CEO Ran Narayanasamy is a finalist for the Emerging Hydrogen Leader Award. In addition, Mr. Narayanasamy will moderate the event's first-ever panel discussion on Natural Hydrogen (Naturally Occurring Hydrogen - Exploring Canada's Potential) which will include MAX Power Chief Geoscientist Steve Halabura and other experts on the second day of the event, April 22.

• Hydrogen Project Award (MAX Power, one of three finalists)
• Hydrogen Digital Innovator Award (MAX Power, one of three finalists)
• Emerging Hydrogen Leader (Ran Narayanasamy, one of eight finalists)
  
  

Mr. Narayanasamy commented: "We're humbled by this recognition, and I congratulate our team for its hard work and accomplishments. Our Saskatchewan Natural Hydrogen Project has put MAX Power in a position to make Canada the global birthplace of large-scale Natural Hydrogen commercialization, a project of potential nation-building scope as we discussed with officials in Ottawa last week. As we proceed through our program of analytical testing, resource modelling and estimation at the Lawson Discovery on the Genesis Trend, ahead of our confirmatory well, we've already started our second well 325 km to the southwest at Bracken on the Grasslands Project. With 1.3 million permitted acres and 5.7 million acres under application, we have the scale, the geology, the team, and MAXX LEMI to lead the world in the exploration and development of this emerging new primary energy source."

Mr. Neil McMillan, Chairman of the Board of MAX Power, commented: "Ran as finalist for Emerging Leader is a testament to the groundbreaking work he has done with MAX Power in just his first few months as CEO after joining us from the globally recognized Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC) where his clean energy leadership spanned several sectors including hydrogen. The Canadian Hydrogen Convention is a major event, and we look forward to championing the Natural Hydrogen sector to the many thousands of attendees."

About the Canadian Hydrogen Convention

The 2026 Canadian Hydrogen Convention marks a turning point in the global energy conversation. The era of speculative enthusiasm has matured into grounded innovation, real investment, and tangible deployment, along with Canada's first-ever drilling for Natural Hydrogen and an immediate discovery by MAX Power on Saskatchewan's Genesis Trend. This year's convention is not about what hydrogen could do - it's about what it is doing.

Canada is building the hydrogen economy, not theorizing about it.

Message from David Billedeau, President and CEO of the Canadian Hydrogen Association of which MAX Power is a proud new member:

https://youtu.be/DfCVmaFMlxk

Hydrogen Project Award (Final Nominee)

The Hydrogen Project Award recognizes global projects distinguished for their technological advancement and impact on communities.

MAX Power's Saskatchewan Natural Hydrogen Project includes Canada's first confirmed subsurface Natural Hydrogen system with free-flowing gas to surface, robust initial rates and pressures following perforation, hydrogen concentrations up to 286,000 ppm, evidence of a large reservoir with a strong drive mechanism, and helium values up to 8.7% detected in sealed core tube gas samples from a zone above the basement complex. Following the Lawson Discovery, the Company has advanced analytical testing, structural interpretation, and commercial evaluation planning while progressing toward a near-term confirmatory well. Concurrent drilling at Bracken, the second well of a multi-well drill program, is testing basin scale continuity under a distinct geological trapping mechanism, a critical step in assessing repeatability and long-term development potential across the largest permitted land package in Canada for Natural Hydrogen (1.3 million acres and 5.7 million additional acres under application).

Hydrogen Digital Innovator Award (Final Nominee)

The Hydrogen Digital Innovator Award recognizes novel digital technologies advancing the hydrogen industry and are considered "game changers" in the energy industry.

MAXX LEMI, the Company's proprietary Large Earth Model Integration Platform, is an AI-assisted predictive framework that integrates seismic data, drilling results, structural interpretation, and legacy subsurface datasets into a unified targeting system. As Natural Hydrogen exploration advances globally, systematic data integration and predictive analytics are expected to become key competitive differentiators. Each additional dataset strengthens MAXX LEMI, reinforcing the Company's technical advantage and long-term scalability. As the Natural Hydrogen sector evolves, MAXX LEMI is designed to serve as a structured, repeatable framework that can support exploration and discovery across emerging basins worldwide, with significant monetization potential for the Company.

Click on the link below to learn more about MAXX LEMI:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPeHdsBuqho

Emerging Hydrogen Leader (Final Nominee)

The Emerging Hydrogen Leader Award acknowledges an up-and-coming individual whose efforts have already made significant contributions to their organization, industry or community that go above and beyond their normal day to day responsibilities. MAX Power CEO Ran Narayanasamy has been nominated as a finalist for this award.

Since joining MAX Power, CEO Ran Narayanasamy has led the Company through a disciplined transition from concept to confirmation, overseeing the discovery of Canada's first subsurface Natural Hydrogen system. Drawing on his leadership experience at the Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC) in Regina, and his deep roots in Saskatchewan where he served for 17 years in various capacities with SaskPower, Mr. Narayanasamy has prioritized technical rigor, structured evaluation, alignment with national energy and decarbonization objectives, strategic partnerships across multiple sectors, Indigenous participation, and safety on the ground for all crews in the first-ever deep drilling for Natural Hydrogen in Canadian history. His nomination reflects both operational execution and strategic leadership at a defining stage for the sector.

Figure 1: CEO Ran Narayanasamy at Regina news conference re: Lawson Discovery

Why This Matters to Investors

For investors, this recognition comes at a pivotal stage in the Company's evolution. In recent months, MAX Power has confirmed Canada's first working subsurface Natural Hydrogen system at Lawson, advanced analytical testing and resource modeling, integrated seismic supported structural interpretation, and commenced drilling at Bracken to test basin scale continuity under a second "play concept". Together, these milestones reflect a disciplined progression from discovery toward structural definition, volumetric assessment, and commercial evaluation.

National recognition at the Canadian Hydrogen Convention, including finalist nominations for Hydrogen Project Award, Hydrogen Digital Innovator Award and Emerging Hydrogen Leader Award, reinforces the Company's leadership within a rapidly developing sector.

Natural Hydrogen remains an early-stage global category. Companies that demonstrate scale, repeatability, technical rigor, and credible commercialization pathways are positioned to shape its future. With approximately 1.3 million permitted acres and an additional 5.7 million acres under application, highlighted by the 475-km Genesis Trend, MAX Power controls one of the largest permitted land packages in the world for Natural Hydrogen. The continued refinement of MAXX LEMI strengthens this position through integrated data analytics and systematic target advancement.

Beyond operational milestones, the broader implications are strategic. A scalable Natural Hydrogen system in Saskatchewan aligns with national priorities around energy security, industrial competitiveness, and decarbonization. As drilling progresses and basin scale concepts are tested, the Company remains focused on validating continuity, quantifying potential, and advancing responsibly toward commercialization, positioning shareholders alongside what could become a new primary clean energy platform for Canada.

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Figure 2: Drilling Photo From Lawson, Genesis Trend (Nov. 2025)

Recent Videos

MAX Power Goes Big at Bracken

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYcaVyU2yfY

The Genesis Trend's Industrial Corridor

https://youtube.com/shorts/IAgALH_s3mI

Lawson - Canada's First Big Step into Natural Hydrogen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTTOwMxz_zo

MAX Power Leaps at Lawson

MAX Power drills into Natural Hydrogen in Canada's first-ever dedicated Natural Hydrogen well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr4Ha06__Eg

Watch the Drill in Action

Video captures the historic start of drilling at Lawson on the Genesis Trend:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eguNGAfdIek

MAX Power Saskatchewan Natural Hydrogen Documentary Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXGDtTUbJ2c

History in The Making at Lawson - Video Immediately Ahead of Drill Rig Setup

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNHazk9Sy4E

About MAX Power

MAX Power is an innovative mineral and energy exploration company focused on the shift to decarbonization. The Company is a first mover in the rapidly growing Natural Hydrogen sector where it has built dominant district-scale land positions across Saskatchewan with approximately 1.3 million acres (521,000 hectares) of permits, plus an additional 5.7 million acres under application, covering prim. e exploration ground prospective for large-volume accumulations of Natural Hydrogen. Canada's first-ever well specifically targeting Natural Hydrogen has been drilled by MAX Power at the Lawson target on the Genesis Trend, confirming a working subsurface system. MAX Power also holds a portfolio of properties in the United States and Canada focused on critical minerals. These properties are highlighted by a 2024 diamond drilling discovery at the Willcox Playa Lithium Project in southeast Arizona, 100%-owned by MAX Power's U.S. subsidiary Homeland Critical Minerals Corp.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Ran Narayanasamy, CEO
MAX Power Mining Corp.
info@maxpowermining.com

For further information, please contact:

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which includes, without limitation, statements about; the interpretation of exploration and drilling results; the potential existence, size, continuity, recoverability, and commercial viability of Natural Hydrogen accumulations; the timing, scope, design, and success of anticipated appraisal, testing, and drilling programs; the advancement of the Lawson Discovery towards potential commercialization; the development, integration, and prospective use of MAXX LEMI; and the Company's broader Natural Hydrogen strategy.

Forward-looking information is based on management's current expectations, estimates, projections, and assumptions, including, among other things, assumptions regarding the Company's ability to execute its work programs as planned, the availability and performance of equipment and personnel, regulatory timelines and approvals, geological continuity and reservoir characteristics, market conditions, and access to sufficient capital on acceptable terms.

Forward-looking information is inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, without limitation: exploration, appraisal, and development risks; the ability to obtain and maintain required permits and regulatory approvals in a timely manner; availability and cost of equipment and qualified personnel; geological, geophysical, and technical uncertainties; fluctuations in commodity and energy market prices; general economic conditions; and the Company's ability to secure additional financing on acceptable terms. There can be no assurance that the Company will complete its planned drilling or related programmes as currently contemplated or within the anticipated timelines, or that any such programmes, if completed, will be successful or result in commercial production.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release is provided as of the date hereof, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise such information except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Additional information regarding risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company's business is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

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