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
More than 1 300 workers were on site by mid-May 2026, with the workforce expected to exceed 2 000 at peak construction.

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
Construction is progressing towards mechanical completion in late 2027. 

Detailed engineering is more than 95% complete, while procurement is more than 70% complete. Major equipment has started arriving on site and at the Winnemucca fabrication yard, with remaining long-lead items expected to be delivered during the year.

More than 75% of the structural steel required is in transit or has arrived at Thacker Pass or the Winnemucca laydown yard. Lithium Americas and Bechtel have worked with the steel supplier to reduce disruption because of the Middle East conflict, including by rerouting steel shipments through the Port of Jeddah.

Construction milestones include the start of cable pulls on the module pipe racks, progress on the filter building structural steel and the installation of key equipment at several facilities.

As of March 31, Lithium Americas had capitalised $1.3-billion in construction and other project-related costs, of which $1.1-billion forms part of the $2.93-billion total capital expenditure estimate. The company is still targeting Phase 1 capital expenditure of $1.3-billion to $1.6-billion for the 2026 financial year.

Lithium Americas has started work on a definitive capital estimate, which is expected to be completed in the second half of the year. This will include updated labour, productivity and materials data, as well as the potential impact of tariffs, the effects of the Middle East conflict, higher fuel prices and inflationary pressures. Potential tariff exposure for Phase 1 construction is estimated at $80-million to $120-million.

Grid reliability upgrades to six regional substations and switching stations were completed ahead of schedule in March this year. Construction of the company’s transload terminal, west of Winnemucca, also started in March, with completion targeted for 2027. The terminal will support operations by serving as a logistics hub for project reagents.

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.