The majority of the world has one thing in common: a desire to lower the global carbon footprint to mitigate the effects of global warming. The biggest culprit is fossil fuels, which is why many people have come up with innovative alternatives to fossil fuels, such as electric vehicles (EVs). Electricity fuels EVs, and this fuel must be stored. Enter the mine that could solve the fuel storage for a million EVs and will have us say goodbye to China and Russia.
Two countries with one similar goal
EVs suddenly took over the market as the world became more aware of their vehicles’ carbon emissions and contribution to global warming; after all, green is the new black. The biggest challenge was creating an EV with efficient power storage. Naturally, batteries are used to store this fuel, more specifically, lithium-ion batteries.
Now, lithium is not abundantly available throughout the world, and the majority depends on imports, not just for EVs, but for all electronic devices that require lithium batteries. Russia is one of the countries that mostly imports lithium, but according to Reuters, the Russian Natural Resources Ministry plans on cutting imports and increasing the production of high-capacity electric batteries. Their goal is to mass-produce at least 60,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate in 2030.
Now, whether they might be giving China a run for its money is not certain. According to the Investing News Network, China is presently the fourth-largest lithium reserve in the world and boasts that its national deposits account for 16.5% of the world’s resources. Now, there is a rare-earth mine that will have us bid goodbye to both Russia and China, as it could fuel a million EVs.
The mine that could fuel a million EVs
The US is not known for hanging back and letting the rest of the world succeed without a little fight. North America has a secret weapon to up its game for rare earths mining, and this secret weapon is situated in the arid desert state of Nevada. This secret weapon will be crucial in a time when tariffs have been significantly affecting US imports and exports.
The secret weapon is Thacker Pass, in northern Nevada. A company called Lithium Americas has taken the responsibility of developing the Thacker Pass Lithium Project to empower a US domestic supply chain. This would enable domestic vehicle producers to manufacture EVs from US-sourced and manufactured battery materials. This would decrease the country’s total carbon footprint, transport expenses, and supply chain risks.
Per Mining Weekly, the Thacker Pass Lithium Project has an approximate lithium carbonate equivalent reserve of 14.3 million tonnes. As the project develops in multiple phases, these estimations will most likely increase, as it reportedly has a mine life of 85 years. This could be a game-changer for the US, but only if the mine continues without resistance from locals.
Do not hate the player, hate the game
Big projects tend to face a little resistance. Lithium Americas was caught pumping water from a contested well without a permit and was court-ordered to stop. According to the Nevada Independent, once the mine is in full production, the project will require nearly 2,600 acre-feet of water annually. Locals are concerned about its impact on the natural water sources and surroundings.
“It’s very frustrating for a family business to try and keep operating our business when the huge mining company comes in and continues to trample our rights and adversely affect the springs and the ecosystem out there.” – Edward Bartell, Nevada cattle rancher
As locals continue to push back, Lithium Americas is doing everything in its power to continue construction and begin full production in 2028 while the market remains favorable. We hope they adhere to all the required environmental laws and regulations.