Name of the Project
Thacker Pass lithium project.

Location
Humboldt County, Nevada, in the US.

Project Owner/s
North American lithium company Lithium Americas Corp (LAC).

Project Description
LAC 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 site workforce was estimated at 950 people on December 31, 2025. This is expected to increase to about 1 800 at peak construction in 2026, with 1.69-million workhours completed in 2025 without a serious injury or lost-time incident. The Workforce Hub became partially operational in September 2025 and had nearly 700 residents by February 13, 2026.

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. For 2026, the company has guided total Phase 1 capital expenditure from $1.3-billion to $1.6-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
Lithium Americas is targeting milestones, including the delivery of major long-lead equipment in the first half of 2026, high-voltage power line commissioning in the second quarter of 2026, completion of main concrete in the third quarter of 2026, and early commissioning in the fourth quarter 2026, while maintaining a target of mechanical completion in late 2027 (with ramp-up in 2028).

Latest Developments
Lithium Americas has reported that Phase 1 construction is well under way, with detailed engineering about 93% complete and procurement about 60% complete as at December 31, 2025. 

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 Corp, email info@lithiumamericas.com.