Lithium Americans will launch the Thacker Pass project with an annual capacity of 30, 000 tons of lithium in early 2022.

Jonathan Evans, CEO and president of primary mining company American Lithium, said on June 15th that the company is expected to start construction of the Thacker Pass project in the United States in early 2022.

It follows news that construction of the project may be delayed as a federal judge considers that the project may pose a threat to wildlife in the area as opponents say. Earlier this year, the U.S. Land Administration (BLM) issued a final federal license for the Nevada project, and environmentalists proposed a ban on the development of Tucker passes.

With regard to the injunction, Evans admitted that the company initially took the injunction complaint as part of the overall construction plan, so the situation did not disrupt the company's original construction plan. The project will still start in early 2022. He indicated that the trial on the request for an injunction would be held on 21 July and that the judge's decision was expected to be answered by the end of July.

Inter-American Lithium received a record of the decision of the United States Land Administration on the Thacker Pass project on January 15, 2021. The company said in January that it expected to receive all remaining state licenses this year and was evaluating partnerships and financing opportunities for the facility.

It is reported that 100% of the, Thacker Pass project is owned by the American Lithium Industry Company. In normal operation, the planned production capacity of the project is about 30, 000 tons of lithium per year. "Thacker Pass is a very important project that will provide hundreds of high-paying jobs for the country and support the country's key needs for lithium products," Esven said. As for the environmental issues of widespread concern to the outside world, Esven also vowed that the project has met or even exceeded all environmental standards, and that the company will protect the local habitat during the implementation of the project.

In the increasingly hot field of new energy vehicles, lithium is a key raw material for the manufacture of (EV) batteries and energy storage systems for electric vehicles, and the demand for lithium for these two uses is expected to soar in the next few years.

As of June 17, the average price of domestic battery-grade lithium hydroxide was 92500 yuan / ton, up 86.9% from the beginning of the year.