project · United States

Thacker Pass

The largest known lithium resource in the United States, hosted in claystone.

ConstructionConstructionProject score 76

Operator

Independent

Country

United States

Mine life

40 yrs

Capex

$2.9B

Profile

Resource, economics and jurisdiction

Resource: Very large sedimentary claystone lithium resource.
Production: Phase one designed for 40 kt LCE annually.
Economics: Supported by a federal loan and automaker offtake commitments.
Infrastructure: Sulphuric acid plant on site; grid and highway access available.
Jurisdiction: Low risk
Ownership: Lithium Americas and General Motors
Region: Nevada

Overview

The largest known lithium resource in the United States, hosted in claystone.

Methodology

Version v0.1

Resource Quality: 82 (weight 1.2) — Grade, continuity and metallurgical complexity of the resource.
Project Scale: 74 (weight 1) — Annual output potential relative to the global market for its primary mineral.
Development Stage: 71 (weight 0.9) — How far the asset has advanced toward or through production.
Jurisdiction: 80 (weight 1.1) — Political stability, permitting predictability and rule of law.
Infrastructure: 71 (weight 0.9) — Access to power, water, transport and processing capacity.
Economics: 75 (weight 1.2) — Cost position and margin resilience through the price cycle.
Strategic Importance: 87 (weight 1) — Relevance to national critical mineral strategies and allied supply chains.
Supply-Chain Value: 78 (weight 1) — Whether the asset relieves a genuine downstream bottleneck.
Sustainability: 78 (weight 0.9) — Carbon intensity, water use, tailings approach and community standing.
Execution Risk: 70 (weight 1) — Technical, financing and schedule risk to reaching nameplate output. Higher is lower risk.