The future of the Thacker Pass lithium mine—the largest planned lithium project in the United States located in northern Nevada—now hangs in the balance after Department of Energy (DOE) officials cast doubt on its viability during a contentious June meeting in Washington, D.C.
The project, approved under the first Trump administration in 2020, has drawn widespread bipartisan support because it sits atop one of the world’s largest known lithium deposits. The mineral, essential for military technology and energy production, is currently dominated by China, which processes up to 70 percent of global supply.
Yet DOE loan chief Gregory Beard questioned whether Thacker Pass had enough buyers, pointing to China’s manipulated lithium prices. He proposed General Motors, a lead investor, sign a binding “take or pay” deal to purchase lithium from the mine for two decades. Without the $2.3 billion DOE loan for a processing facility, the project could stall indefinitely. “The largest lithium project in the country could go tits up,” warned one person close to the project.
Supporters argue Thacker Pass is vital to U.S. energy security. Nick Loris of C3 Solutions said, “Given the bang for your buck that we could get from the lithium production out of this mine, it is one of the, I think, most critical projects that we have in the United States.”
Despite bipartisan backing from Nevada’s governor and congressional delegation, the loan disbursement remains stalled. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum recently stressed, “The battery supply chain starts underground in America.” That reality underscores the stakes: without Thacker Pass, U.S. dependence on China’s critical minerals will only deepen.
