Lithium Americas announced that following a rigorous and competitive tender process, the company has awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction management contract for the Thacker Pass project to Bechtel, an industry-leading firm that has built more than 25,000 projects for industries and governments in 160 countries on all seven continents.

Lithium Americas has all the federal and state permits needed to begin construction at the Thacker Pass lithium project north of Winnemucca. A hearing on an appeal to the Thacker Pass Record of Decision is set for Jan. 5. If the ruling following the hearing supports the Thacker Pass Record of Decision that was issued in January 2021, Lithium Americas and Bechtel are set to work together to launch construction activities.

“Awarding the EPCM contract is a significant milestone in advancing Thacker Pass towards production,” said Jonathan Evans, president and CEO of Lithium Americas. “Bechtel is a globally recognized and respected engineering firm with a deep understanding of value-driven project delivery. This key partnership is a big step forward towards enabling North American production of battery-quality lithium carbonate to help secure our nation’s clean energy future.”