Lithium Americas Corp (LAAC)

[transform]

Some local Nevada press coverage:

Lithium Nevada Corp.’s president, David Deak, is optimistic that there will be demand for lithium coming from the company’s project near Orovada in Humboldt County once the site is developed.

“The growth potential in the market is massive,” said Deak, who also is a senior vice president and chief technology officer for parent company Lithium Americas Corp.

He came to Lithium Americas last June after two years with Tesla Motors Inc., which manufactures electric cars, so he saw the potential. Batteries use lithium.

“The project has the potential to be one of the largest lithium producers in the world,” he said of the site in Kings Valley that covers 37,64.6 acres.

The Lithium Nevada project would involve open-pit mining of deep clay that contains rich lithium deposits, and a processing plant would need to be built and the overburden removed to reach the richer lithium.

“A lot of effort this year is refining the engineering efforts and maximizing the flow sheet to become one of the lower cost producers,” Deak said. “We’re working on fundraising and development efforts.”

Lithium Americas is generating revenue from the site now, however, by mining overburden for the RheoMinerals plant in Fernley, mainly for drilling mud. The clay is mined as needed to supply the plant so there aren’t full-time operations on site, Deak said.

“We did campaign mining and are still using the material. When larger orders come, we will go back out there,” he said.

RheoMinerals is a subsidiary of Lithium Americas.

The project near Orovada would produce lithium hydroxide from the “very rich, dense clay,” rather than from brine, Deak said. The project would be the “most sustainable way possible.” Efforts will reduce the carbon footprint and be mindful of surrounding habitat, as well, he said.

Deak foresees the Nevada project possibly being in operation in 2021. If it goes into full production, he estimated the project would employ roughly 200 people.

“It will provide a lot of economic advantages to Nevada,” he said.

Lithium Americas subsidiaries in Nevada employ roughly 50 people now, according to Catherine Clark, environmental director for Lithium Nevada.

A lithium brine operation in Argentina is closer to production than Kings Valley, Deak said.

“We are on the verge of starting construction,” he said. “The worker camps are in place. Production should start in 2019.”

The Nevada Division of Minerals is behind a bill, AB 52, that would make it easier to explore for lithium in Nevada, but the bill targets exploration for lithium in brine so it involves water rights. Deak said the bill “really doesn’t apply to us.”

Western Lithium USA Corp. changed its corporate name to Lithium Americas Corp. effective April 1, 2016. Lithium Americas is based in Vancouver, British Columbia. There is a Reno office for Lithium Nevada.

http://elkodaily.com/mining/lithium-nevada-president-expects-lithium-demand-to-grow/article_10a319a7-0ac0-5f84-8beb-d382c4a76ebf.html