Name of the Project
Thacker Pass lithium project.

Location
Humboldt County, Nevada, in the US.

Project Owner/s
North American lithium company Lithium Americas.

Project Description
Lithium Americas aims to extract lithium at Thacker Pass from a large clay deposit, something that has never been done before at commercial scale.

The project is targeting 80 000 t/y of battery-quality lithium carbonate production capacity in two phases of 40 000 t/y each.

Thacker Pass will have a mine life of 40 years.

The mine is slated to be a key supplier to General Motors.

Potential Job Creation
The project is expected to create 1 000 jobs during construction and 500 jobs during operations.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
The project has an after-tax net present value, at an 8% discount rate, of $4.95-billion and an internal rate of return of 21.2%.

Capital Expenditure
The mine's cost had been increased from a previous estimate of $2.27-billion to nearly $2.93-billion, as a result of higher engineering costs, an agreement to use union labour and the company's decision to build a housing facility for workers and their families in the remote region.

Planned Start/End Date
Mechanical completion of Thacker Pass Phase 1 is targeted for 2027, following a three-year construction period. The company expects a commissioning and ramp-up period of six to 12 months, targeting full capacity production in 2028.

Latest Developments
Lithium Americas announced a $250-million investment on March 6 from Orion Resource Partners, a private equity firm focused on metals and materials, to fund the development of the first phase of Thacker Pass. The funding is expected to provide full financial backing for the construction phase, with production targeted to start in late 2027.

Under the agreement, Orion will acquire $195-million in senior unsecured convertible notes and enter into a production payment agreement (PPA) with Lithium Americas, contributing an additional $25-million. The firm has also committed to acquiring another $30-million in notes within two years, bringing its total investment to $250-million. The investment will enable Lithium Americas to finalise the financial requirements for its $2.26-billion loan from the US Department of Energy (DoE), secured in partnership with General Motors.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Aquatech International (magnesium sulphate and lithium carbonate chemical plants); Bechtel Corporation (engineering, procurement and construction management); EXP Global Inc (engineering, procurement, construction support, commissioning and startup services for the sulphuric acid plant).

Contact Details for Project Information
Lithium Americas, email info@lithiumamericas.com.