The brief

Analyst view

• Thacker Pass (Nevada) hosts the world's largest measured lithium resource and reserve.
• $2.23B DOE loan and $650M GM investment fund Phase 1: 40,000 tonnes/year carbonate.
• Supports up to 1M EV batteries per year. Mechanical completion late 2027.

Technical approach

As reported

Mining

Open-pit ore extraction

Closed-basin lithium deposit. Ore mined from open pit; waste rock managed separately.

Leaching

Acid dissolution and concentration

Ore leached in sulfuric acid; lithium solution concentrated in evaporation ponds.

Purification

Battery-grade refinement

Crystallized lithium carbonate refined to >99.5% purity for battery makers.