VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lithium Americas Corp. (TSX: LAC) (NYSE: LAC) (“Lithium Americas” or the “Company”) announced the release of two environmental, social, governance and safety (“ESG-S”) reports for its North America and Argentina regions. The two ESG-S reports, themed ‘Accelerating Toward a New Era of Sustainable Value’ highlight overall ESG-S progress during January 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023 (the “Reporting Period”) and reflect the Company’s commitment to creating sustainable value by being a safe, environmentally responsible and inclusive lithium company.

“Over the last 18 months, our business has gained significant momentum as we advanced late-stage lithium projects in Argentina and the U.S. toward full production in a sustainable and responsible way,” said Jonathan Evans, Lithium Americas’ President and CEO. “We are uniquely positioned to bridge the global gap in demand, while maximizing sustainable value for our diverse set of stakeholders. In early 2023, we commenced construction at Thacker Pass in northern Nevada, through which we will play a key role in building North America’s lithium supply chain, and in June 2023, we achieved first lithium production at Caucharí-Olaroz in northern Argentina, the largest new lithium brine operation to come online in more than two decades.”

This year we have included in the reports:

• A Stakeholder Matrix to illustrate our engagement mechanisms with various stakeholder groups.
• Estimated operational carbon intensity per tonne of lithium carbonate produced at Thacker Pass and Caucharí-Olaroz.
• Illustrations and diagrams of how water flows and is recycled at Thacker Pass and Caucharí-Olaroz.

Other major ESG-S achievements during the Reporting Period highlighted in the reports include:

• Estimated operational carbon intensity for both Thacker Pass and Caucharí-Olaroz, and estimated expected water intensity, as well as water reuse and recycle rates at Thacker Pass.
• Signed a Community Benefits Agreement with the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe, the closest Indigenous community to Thacker Pass, as the latest progression in a long-term relationship.
• Received approval by seven communities in the vicinity of Caucharí-Olaroz for the proposed Stage 2 expansion of at least 50%.
• Completed a self-assessment of the Towards Sustainable Mining (“TSM”) standard at Caucharí-Olaroz, as well as an external review of TSM protocols for biodiversity, community relationships, health and safety and water stewardship.
• Voluntarily participated in the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (“IRMA”) Ready Pilot by completing a self-assessment of the draft standard for Thacker Pass.
• Strengthened our safety awareness and management of safety performance, by implementing the SafeStart awareness and skills training program, alongside the VelocityEHS safety management software at Caucharí-Olaroz, Thacker Pass and corporate and regional offices.
• Achieved no recordable incidents at Thacker Pass and a total recordable injury frequency rate (“TRIFR”) of 1.68 at Caucharí-Olaroz, exceeding the site’s goal of two for each one million hours worked.