⛰️ US discovers one of world's largest lithium deposits – less dependent on China

• A new deposit in McDermitt Caldera contains 40 million tons of lithium, making it one of the world's largest reserves.
• The Thacker Pass project will produce 40,000 tons of lithium annually from 2026.
• With this deposit, the US can reduce its dependence on China, which currently refines 60 percent of the world's lithium.

US can become self-sufficient in lithium

A new lithium deposit has been located in the ancient volcanic crater McDermitt Caldera on the border between Oregon and Nevada. The deposit contains 40 million tons of lithium, which is ten times more than the recently discovered deposit in the Smackover Formation in Arkansas, estimated at 4 million tons.

Currently, there is only one lithium facility operating in the US - Silver Peak in Nevada. But this will change when the Thacker Pass project starts in 2026. The project, funded with 2 billion dollars from the US Department of Energy and General Motors, aims to produce 40,000 tons of lithium per year.

The Thacker Pass project uses new technology to extract lithium. The technology includes modified mining methods that reduce impact on the land.

Lithium demand increasing sharply

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) predicts that demand for lithium for battery manufacturing will increase tenfold between 2020 and 2030. A report from Popular Mechanics in 2023 shows that an electrified economy in 2030 will need between 250,000 and 450,000 tons of lithium. This can be compared to global production in 2021, which was only 105 tons.

Lithium is primarily used in batteries, especially lithium-ion batteries for mobile phones, laptops, and electric vehicles, due to its high energy density and low weight. It is also used in glass and ceramics to improve durability, in medicine to treat bipolar disorder, and in certain lubricants and coolants.

US reduces dependence on China

China currently refines 60 percent of the world's lithium. With the new deposit and the Thacker Pass project, the US can build up its own lithium production. This reduces dependence on imports from China and other major lithium producers such as Australia and South America's "lithium triangle" consisting of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia.

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