Name of the Project
Thacker Pass lithium project.
Location
Humboldt County, Nevada, in the US.
Project Owner/s
Lithium Americas.
Project Description
Thacker Pass 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.
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
$2.2-billion.
Planned Start/End Date
Phase 1 production is expected to start in the second half of 2026.
Latest Developments
Construction, including site preparation, geotechnical drilling, water pipeline development and associated infrastructure, has started at the project.
Contracts for major earthworks have been awarded, with activities expected to start in the second half of 2023.
Bechtel Corporation was awarded the engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract for the construction of Thacker Pass Phase 1 in the fourth quarter of 2022, with detailed engineering under way.
Contract selection and engineering for a work force hub (housing for construction contractors) and transloading facility within the Winnemucca area have started.
Construction at Thacker Pass started following the favourable ruling from the US District Court, District of Nevada, for the issuance of the record of decision (RoD), where the Federal Court confirmed the permitting process for Thacker Pass was conducted thoroughly and responsibly.
The Federal Court declined to vacate the RoD and ordered the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to consider one issue under the mining law relating to the area designated for waste storage and tailings, and did not impose any restrictions expected to impact on the construction timeline.
Lithium Americas is working closely with the BLM to complete the required follow
up and does not expect it to impact on the overall construction timeline.
Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Aquatech International (magnesium sulphate and lithium carbonate chemical plants); Bechtel Corporation (EPCM); 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.