Lithium Americas raised the definitive capital cost estimate for Thacker Pass Phase 1 in Humboldt County, Nevada to $3.83 billion including contingency, up from $2.93 billion, citing higher craft labour and installation rates, larger EPCM and contractor staffing, tariff and logistics costs of about $100 million, and an added contingency of about $150 million. The company put the incremental funding requirement at about $995 million and said it would be met through $650 million of company contributions at the joint-venture level and $315 million currently credited to reserve accounts under its US Department of Energy loan, under an amendment signed on November 10, 2026 with the DOE and General Motors. Mechanical completion remains targeted for late 2027, with ramp-up through 2028 toward nominal output of 40,000 tonnes per year of battery-quality lithium carbonate, and 2026 capex guidance rose to $1.7 billion to $2.0 billion from $1.3 billion to $1.6 billion.
Thacker Pass phase one cost estimate rises 31 percent to $3.83 billion
Lithium Americas raised the definitive capital cost estimate for Thacker Pass Phase 1 in Nevada to $3.83 billion including contingency, up from $2.93 billion, and lifted its 2026 capex guidance to $1.7 billion to $2.0 billion.
Why it matters: Thacker Pass is the largest near-term domestic source of battery-quality lithium carbonate in the United States, and a 31 percent cost increase tests the funding structure built around the DOE loan and the General Motors joint venture.
Data as of Lithium Americas project update release of November 11, 2026, read in full via Business Wire; the Northern Miner report of the same update was paywalled beyond its lede, so all figures are taken from the company release itself.
Sources
- Lithium Americas Provides Thacker Pass Project Update - Lithium Americas Corp., via Business Wire - 2026-11-11
- Thacker Pass lithium project cost jumps 31% to $3.83B - The Northern Miner - 2026-11-11