Environment

Energy And Emissions

Lithium Americas is focused on managing our energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Thacker Pass’ planned energy strategy relies significantly on the self-generation of carbon-free energy through waste heat capture at the sulfuric acid plant. This design will allow heat generated during the production process to be converted into electricity and reused on-site. We continue to work closely with our EPCM contractor Bechtel and our mine contractor Sawtooth to track Scope 1 GHG emissions associated with construction activities at Thacker Pass.

Learn about our Climate and GHG Strategy in our 2025 ESG-S Report

Water

We are committed to working toward reusing and recycling water wherever possible and managing withdrawals in a manner that reflects basin conditions and long-term resource availability. Our goal is to sustainably manage water resources by reducing consumption, protecting water quality and proactively addressing potential impacts to surrounding water users and ecosystems.

The process flowsheet for Thacker Pass is designed as a Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) facility, which eliminates the need for discharge of wastewater to the environment. The ZLD circuit is included in the flowsheet as a water treatment process to eliminate liquid waste by removing contaminants and recovering water for reuse within the process.

We conducted early water quantity modeling to evaluate potential impacts to affected water basins and continue to update the groundwater model every five years. We proactively manage water quantity and quality through a comprehensive water management system that includes systematic monitoring. Monitoring data is collected, downloaded and reviewed in real-time using state-of-the-art technology.

Additional information:

• Refer to page 26 of our 2025 ESG-S Report
• Read our blog post to learn how we are improving our water management practices
• Download our Water Fact Sheet

Biodiversity and Reclamation

Thacker Pass has been designed and engineered with the objective of reducing our environmental footprint, avoiding sensitive habitats and incorporating advanced environmental control technologies. Our approach to biodiversity focuses on protecting and conserving ecological resources by integrating conservation measures across the design, construction, operation and closure phases of Thacker Pass. As part of our Strategic Plan for Biodiversity Management and Preservation, we have:

• Collected comprehensive baseline data to characterize the presence and habitat of wildlife and plant life in the Thacker Pass baseline study area, which encompasses 18,686 acres.
• Modeled potential direct and indirect impacts on biodiversity resources from site-based disturbance, including noise.
• Developed mitigation plans to avoid or limit impacts on ecological resources.
• Developed compliance management and reporting systems to support responsible operations.

We are committed to active reclamation throughout the mine life of Thacker Pass and beyond. We have worked closely with stakeholders, including the Bureau of Land Management and Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, to develop a mine reclamation plan and tentative closure plant. Post-mining land use and reclamation goals include:

• Supporting public safety.
• Reducing or eliminating potential environmental impacts.
• Establishing a sagebrush vegetation community to restore the area to the pre-mining land uses of wildlife habitat, livestock grazing and dispersed recreation.

Additional information:

• Download our Biodiversity Fact Sheet
• Read more in our ESG-S Report
• Read our blog post to learn more about reclamation and closure

Waste and Materials Management

At Lithium Americas, we manage our waste and materials safely and responsibly to protect human health, natural resources and the environment. We are committed to handling tailings and other byproducts in ways that reduce risk and increase their beneficial use. At Thacker Pass, lithium extraction will generate three main waste streams: neutralized clay tailings, magnesium sulfate salt (Epsom salt) and sodium/potassium sulfate salts.

We have made several critical design decisions at Thacker Pass that underscore our commitment to developing a facility to minimize our impact to the environment, including repurposing and/or minimizing waste. Among them:

• The open pit will be backfilled with waste rock and coarse gangue;
• Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) processing facility ensures there will be no discharge of industrial wastewater into the environment; and
• Clay tailings filter stacks eliminate the need for a traditional slurry tailings dam, resulting in a more geotechnically stable tailings facility.

Learn more in our 2025 ESG-S Report