At Thacker Pass, DOE Doubles Down on a Made-in-America Energy Transition

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $2.26 billion loan today to help finance a new lithium carbonate processing plant at Thacker Pass in Humboldt County, Nevada. The project will create a major domestic source for the battery-grade lithium carbonate needed in electric vehicles and for grid-scale energy storage. That’s great news for clean energy supply chains and even better news for US energy independence. By homeshoring production of this critical mineral, Thacker Pass will help end US reliance on China, which currently dominates global lithium carbonate processing.  

The energy transition can’t succeed in this country if China’s government benefits more than American workers. With the Thacker Pass announcement, DOE proves their commitment to ensuring American communities reap the benefits of the clean energy transition—and China loses its dominance of global clean energy markets. A few key figures: 

• Thacker Pass will produce 40,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate annually, enough to support the production of 800,000 EVs, saving about 317 million gallons of gas per year.  
• The state of Nevada is expected to see an additional $2.2 billion in annual economic impact, with major investments made directly in the local Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone tribal communities, including the completion of major new infrastructure projects. 
• Construction will create approximately 1,800 union jobs in the area through a Project Labor Agreement with North America’s Building Trade Union (NABTU), with a goal of up to 25% local and regional apprentices. 
• When fully operational, the process plant and mine will create more than 350 local job and partner with Great Basin College to help local students enter this emerging industry through training programs and apprenticeships. 

Bringing lithium carbonate production to Nevada generates huge and lasting benefits for the US economy—especially for local Nevadans and indigenous groups. Through projects like Thacker Pass, the Administration is doubling down on making clean energy here in America—and making certain our communities reap the benefits.