VIRGINIA CITY, Nev., April 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Comstock Inc. (NYSE:LODE) ("Comstock," "our," and the "Company"), today announced its first quarter 2024 results, business updates and an updated 2024 business outlook. "We are pushing the boundaries of technology and sustainability, especially in metals, fuels, and artificial intelligence, by leveraging our technical bench, our diverse and growing technology portfolio, and our frontier research and development partner networks that are now delivering tangible solutions that impact industries, economies, and communities," stated Corrado De Gasperis, the Company's Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Metals is a great example, having just achieved a major milestone by producing 100% salable products from a first-of-its-kind, zero-landfill, recycling facility." Selected Segment Highlights for the First Quarter of 2024 Comstock Metals Secured all required operating permits and commenced production in Silver Springs, Nevada; Secured revenue generating contracts and began receiving large quantities of end-of-life solar panels; Commissioned and successfully tested all stages of production, producing 100% salable materials; Collected cash payments on receivables for substantially all of the panels received to date; Identified and securing lease for industry scale production facility with up to 100,000 tons of annual production; and Prepared permits for first expanded industry scale storage site. "Comstock Metals crossed the first finish line with a successful commissioning of our first, zero-landfill, solar panel recycling facility that is now producing three distinct, renewable products from end-of-life solar panels," added De Gasperis. "Our unit economics are highly attractive with better-than-expected processing cycles. These achievements position our metals team for more rapid expansions, for both storage and production, with 2-3 more facilities now in planning for Nevada alone." Comstock Fuels Commenced ongoing sample production of commercially available hydrodeoxygenated Bioleum Oil ("HBO"); Executed agreements for up to a $3 million investment in Sweden-based RenFuel K2B AB ("RenFuel"); Expanded research and development projects for even higher yields and lower costs of our biorefining solutions; Completed multiple, scaled techno-economic analysis for deploying customer solutions across the Americas; and Proposed on and in advanced discussions with multiple operationally experienced, well-capitalized customers. "Last year we validated industry-leading yields exceeding 100 gallons per dry tonne of wood on a gasoline gallon equivalent basis ("GGE") and confirmed market-leading, extremely low carbon intensity ("CI") score of 15 on our woody biomass fuel solutions," said De Gasperis. "We are now engaged across the industry for both technology adoption and monetization, wherein our customers are doing diligence on varying scales of facility adoptions, economic assessments and investment into fuels." Comstock Mining Our mining teams have advanced our monetization plans for the northern part of the district, primarily our Storey County mineral estate, including the northern targets currently under lease and they have advanced our internal economic feasibility assessment for the southern part of the district, including updating all sensitivities for the current, higher mineral prices. We: Updated our internal Dayton-Spring Valley economic assessment using current pricing assumptions; Operationalized a first-of-its-kind satellite sensor platform through Quantum Generative Materials ("GenMat's") Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Imaging ("HRSI") system, for optimizing future mineral exploration and discovery; Advanced Dayton's mineral resource expansion plan together with GenMat's geophysical teams; and Prepared, well-positioned and ready for the first full imaging scans of the Comstock historic district. "Our economic assessment for the existing Dayton resource, including projected cash flows have more than doubled since last year based on our comprehensive update, including cost updates, and higher gold and silver prices," added De Gasperis. "Regardless of the high probability of further resource expansion in the Dayton-Spring Valley complex, our existing economic feasibility can only grow from here with an added, extraordinary opportunity for a highly valuable, post productive land use." Strategic Investments (Minority Investments by the Company) Realigned our ownership of GenMat to 32% with direct technology rights for biofuels and mineral discovery; Green Li-ion Pte, Ltd. ("Green Li-ion") launched its first production facility for renewable cathode materials; and Sierra Springs Opportunity Fund Inc. ("SSOF") executed a high-value LOI for a property purchase in Silver Springs. "GenMat has rapidly built an exceptional team, a remarkable data infrastructure and platform, and achieved a series of critical technical milestones surrounding its physics-based AI, simulation, engineering, and satellite remote sensing technology with only about $15 million of expenditures to date. It is now actively commercializing its solutions with sophisticated, industry leading technical, industrial, and governmental partners," stated De Gasperis. "This realignment and simplification positions GenMat to accelerate its commercialization and monetization efforts in every way, while we retain early-adopter rights for the use of these breakthrough technologies, enabling further advancements across both our biofuel and mineral discovery fields." GenMat Comstock and GenMat recently agreed to simplify GenMat's corporate and capital structure wherein GenMat will reincorporate as a Delaware corporation and issue common stock to Comstock (in exchange for the Company's existing membership units) corresponding to 32% of GenMat's fully diluted, reserved, and outstanding shares for Comstock's $15 million cash and stock investment. Comstock maintains technology rights in the fields of biofuel development and mineral discovery and mining.   "This represents an exceptional pre-money valuation from our original investment as we continue supporting the technology developments in mineral discovery and low-carbon fuels and committing ongoing investment funds while GenMat commercializes its proprietary technology and assesses multiple, favorable outside capital opportunities," said De Gasperis. "We anticipate GenMat consummating these transactions this year, and effectively closing out our investment commitment." RenFuel Comstock Fuels is already using RenFuel's patented catalytic esterification technology to refine its proprietary derivatives into HBO for use by advanced refineries in blending with, diversifying, and extending conventional fat, oil and grease feedstocks that can simultaneously produce SAF and Renewable ...