MAX Power Mining Corp. (CSE:MAXX), (OTC:MAXXF) (FSE:89N) is strengthening its leadership team as it prepares for a pivotal phase of natural hydrogen testing at its Lawson discovery in Saskatchewan. With a large-scale geological system identified, independent technical modelling underway, a proprietary AI-assisted exploration platform in development and US capital markets opportunities under evaluation, the company is advancing its strategy to assess the commercial potential of natural hydrogen.
MAX Power is entering a significant new chapter in its development, appointing former Saskatchewan cabinet minister Rob Norris as chief executive officer as it moves towards the next stage of technical evaluation and potential commercialisation.
The appointment comes as the company prepares to begin completions testing at its Lawson and Bracken discoveries in the second half of October 2026. The programme is intended to provide important information about the characteristics and potential commercial viability of the natural hydrogen systems identified through drilling.
This article is being disseminated on behalf of MAX Power Mining Corp., a third-party issuer and is intended for informational purposes only.
Alongside the technical work, MAX Power is advancing its proprietary MAXX LEMI exploration platform, evaluating a potential US stock exchange listing and exploring strategic partnerships to support further development.
The company’s wider proposition combines a substantial permitted land position, a confirmed subsurface natural hydrogen system, associated helium potential and a technology-led approach to identifying additional exploration targets.
Experienced leadership for the next phase
Rob Norris brings experience in government, energy policy, innovation and international partnerships to his new role. A former Saskatchewan cabinet minister, he has held responsibilities spanning SaskPower, innovation, advanced education and employment, giving him relevant experience as MAX Power seeks to develop its natural hydrogen opportunity within the province.
Norris has served on the company’s board since June 2025. His appointment as CEO follows Ran Narayanasamy’s transition to the newly created position of Managing Director, Innovation and International Strategy.
The move allows MAX Power to maintain continuity in its technical and strategic development while placing increased emphasis on commercialisation, partnerships and capital markets.
The company has also strengthened its technical leadership with the appointments of Tom Kishchuk as chief technology officer and Dr Brendan Bishop as chief geochemist.
Kishchuk brings more than 30 years of technical and business leadership experience, while Bishop contributes specialist expertise in geochemistry and hydrogen and helium isotopes.
Together, the appointments strengthen the team’s commercial, technical and scientific capabilities as MAX Power prepares to evaluate the next stage of its discoveries.
Lawson: From discovery towards commercial evaluation
MAX Power’s flagship Lawson project represents the central focus of its natural hydrogen strategy.
The company has confirmed a subsurface natural hydrogen system through deep drilling, with data validated by three independent laboratories. Subsequent three-dimensional seismic work has helped define the underlying geological structure, providing a framework for follow-up drilling and further assessment.
According to the company’s IBN profile, seismic interpretation has identified a 14.2-square-kilometre structural closure within a broader 28-square-kilometre system.
These findings provide a more detailed geological picture of the opportunity, moving the project beyond an isolated drilling result towards the evaluation of a larger subsurface system.
The next important milestone is completions testing, which is expected to help establish how the system performs under test conditions. Key considerations include hydrogen concentrations, flow rates, reservoir characteristics and deliverability.
The results will be important in assessing whether Lawson could support commercially viable production.
MAX Power has also reported significant natural hydrogen readings from its third and fourth Lawson wells, with the drilling programme aimed at understanding the scale and continuity of the system.
The company has engaged GLJ Ltd., an independent energy consulting firm, to undertake reservoir characterisation, modelling and development scenario analysis. This work is intended to help assess the broader Lawson Complex’s resource potential and provide a stronger technical foundation for future development decisions.
While commercial production has not yet been established, the combination of drilling, seismic interpretation and independent technical analysis represents an important stage in evaluating the discovery.
A 475-kilometre exploration trend creates further potential
Beyond Lawson itself, MAX Power is investigating the potential of the broader Genesis Trend, a geological corridor extending approximately 475 kilometres through Saskatchewan towards North Dakota.
The company’s permitted land position has expanded to approximately 2.5 million acres, giving it a substantial area in which to investigate additional natural hydrogen targets.
The wider exploration strategy is based on determining whether geological features identified at Lawson can be recognised elsewhere along the trend and across other parts of the company’s acreage.
One important element is the Bracken target, located approximately 325 kilometres southwest of Lawson. Drilling at Bracken has identified multiple prospective natural hydrogen and helium zones, with further completions and testing planned.
Investigating both Lawson and Bracken provides an opportunity to assess natural hydrogen systems in different geological settings and determine whether the wider Saskatchewan land position could host additional discoveries.
MAX Power is also evaluating other targets, including Lawson South, as it continues to build its understanding of the region’s geology.
The potential significance is that successful follow-up work could expand the company’s opportunity beyond a single discovery. However, the scale, continuity and commercial viability of any additional accumulations will need to be established through further technical work.
Natural hydrogen and the emerging energy opportunity
Natural hydrogen is attracting increasing interest as energy users explore alternative sources of lower-emission energy for industrial applications and infrastructure.
Unlike manufactured hydrogen, which requires an industrial production process, natural hydrogen is generated through geological processes and may accumulate within the subsurface. If it can be discovered, extracted and delivered economically, it could offer an alternative source of energy for selected applications.
The potential economics are a key part of the industry’s appeal. Natural hydrogen could avoid some of the energy-intensive production requirements associated with manufactured hydrogen, although actual costs will depend on geology, extraction, processing, infrastructure and other project-specific factors.
MAX Power’s Lawson discovery is strategically positioned near Saskatchewan’s industrial corridor, where existing industrial activity and proposed hydrogen infrastructure could provide potential future demand.
The region is also attracting interest in energy-intensive infrastructure, including proposed AI and data-centre developments. Such projects could increase the importance of reliable energy supplies, although any future supply relationship involving MAX Power would depend on successful technical validation, commercial arrangements and the development of suitable infrastructure.
For MAX Power, the immediate priority remains demonstrating the performance of its natural hydrogen systems. Establishing commercially viable production would be a critical step towards turning the broader energy opportunity into a development proposition.
MAXX LEMI: Applying AI to natural hydrogen exploration
A further differentiator is MAX Power’s proprietary MAXX LEMI platform, an AI-assisted geological exploration framework designed to integrate seismic information, drilling results, structural interpretation and historical subsurface datasets.
The objective is to improve the identification and assessment of potential drilling targets by bringing multiple sources of geological information into a unified analytical framework.
This approach could support the company’s exploration strategy by helping refine target selection, improve understanding of subsurface structures and assess similarities between known discoveries and prospective areas.
MAX Power has engaged global technology services provider Kyndryl to develop a commercialisation strategy and go-to-market plan for the platform.
The potential applications extend beyond the company’s own acreage. If the technology proves effective, MAXX LEMI could potentially have applications across other natural hydrogen exploration districts, creating opportunities for partnerships, licensing or broader commercial adoption.
The platform was also recognised as a runner-up in the Digital Innovator category at the 2026 Canadian Hydrogen Convention in Edmonton, according to the IBN company profile.
That recognition provides additional visibility for the technology as MAX Power explores how data-led targeting could contribute to a developing natural hydrogen industry.
The commercial opportunity remains to be demonstrated, but the platform adds a technology dimension to the company’s exploration strategy.
A second asset in critical minerals
MAX Power also holds a portfolio of critical minerals properties, including the Willcox Playa Lithium Project in southeast Arizona.
The company’s US subsidiary owns the project, where earlier diamond drilling identified lithium-rich clays over a broad area.
The asset provides exposure to a separate sector linked to battery materials and US critical minerals supply chains.
MAX Power is considering a proposed spinout of its critical minerals portfolio. If progressed, such a transaction could allow the company to sharpen its strategic focus on natural hydrogen while giving the separate assets a more dedicated development pathway.
Any potential spinout, its structure and its implications for shareholders would depend on the company’s plans and the relevant approvals and conditions.
The portfolio nevertheless represents an additional component of MAX Power’s asset base as it works to define its longer-term priorities.
Expanding investor reach and US market opportunities
Alongside its operational programme, MAX Power is evaluating a potential dual listing on a US stock exchange.
The objective would be to broaden the company’s investor base, improve visibility among US investors and potentially increase trading liquidity. Any listing would remain subject to exchange requirements, regulatory considerations and the company’s final decision.
The company has also entered into a syndicated communications agreement with InvestorBrandNetwork (IBN), effective 9 October 2026 for an initial 90-day period ending 7 January 2027.
The agreement is valued at US$500,000, payable in cash from working capital. The services include content creation and syndication, press release enhancement, recap-style coverage, a CEO podcast interview, social media support and monthly reporting.
The campaign is intended to raise awareness of MAX Power among investors as it progresses its natural hydrogen programme and evaluates capital markets opportunities. It is an investor communications initiative rather than evidence of technical progress or commercial validation, and the associated expenditure is a relevant consideration for shareholders.
Taken together, the company’s investor outreach and potential US listing form part of a broader effort to increase market awareness as the operational programme advances.
The next milestones
MAX Power’s latest leadership changes reflect a shift in emphasis towards commercial evaluation, with Lawson completions testing expected to provide an important next set of technical information.
The company is also progressing work at Bracken, assessing the wider Genesis Trend, developing its MAXX LEMI platform and considering how its capital markets strategy can support its ambitions.
The combination of a confirmed natural hydrogen system, a substantial permitted land position, associated helium potential and additional exploration targets gives MAX Power several avenues through which to pursue its strategy.
The key test now is whether the upcoming work can demonstrate the technical performance and commercial characteristics required to advance Lawson towards potential development.
For investors following the emerging natural hydrogen sector, the coming months could be important in determining how the company’s exploration results translate into a clearer picture of resource potential and possible commercial applications.
With a strengthened leadership team and several technical and corporate initiatives progressing in parallel, MAX Power is positioning itself for the next phase of its natural hydrogen journey.
The opportunity remains at the exploration and evaluation stage, and commercial production has not yet been established. Future progress will depend on testing results, technical assessments, financing, infrastructure and the ability to develop commercially viable projects.
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