How Thacker Pass Gets Built, featuring Jensen Infrastructure
From Reno to Thacker Pass, a local contractor is helping build one of America's most significant critical minerals projects.
Thacker Pass tank foundations with precast elements provided by Jensen.
At Lithium Americas, our commitment to northern Nevada goes beyond our Thacker Pass boundaries. We actively seek out local contractors, suppliers and service providers who bring expertise, accountability and community ties to the table.
Headquartered in Reno, Jensen Infrastructure is a contractor manufacturing and delivering precast concrete components for Thacker Pass. As Jensen showcases their work to engineers and contractors around the region, we're glad to see Thacker Pass represented in that story.
A Reno Company, Built for Big Projects
Jensen Infrastructure (formerly Jensen Precast) has been part of the western construction landscape for more than 50 years, growing from a family-owned precast concrete manufacturer into a full-service infrastructure solutions company serving Nevada, California, Arizona, Hawaii, Washington and Missouri.
“At Thacker Pass, we've prioritized working with local Nevada-based contractors wherever our project needs align,” said Tim Abel, VP Project Construction, Lithium Americas. “Jensen is based in Reno, has a key manufacturing facility in Sparks, understands the region and has delivered the precast components our Project requires. That local connection matters to us.”
Jensen's Role in Thacker Pass
Left: precast concrete pedestals from Jensen Infrastructure are pictured in the foreground.
Right: Precast foundations aligned in place to support modules of the Workforce Hub
As the primary precast concrete supplier for Thacker Pass, Jensen provided a range of large-format structural components critical to the project's process and electrical infrastructure, including:
- 496 pipe rack foundations
- 177 substation foundations
- 24 transformer foundations
- 5 tank foundations
- 159 precast foundations to support the nearly 700 modules of the Workforce Hub
- 17,000+ linear feet of drainage trench
The Case for Precast
“The decision to use precast concrete rather than pour foundations on-site reflects a deliberate construction philosophy built around safety, quality control and schedule efficiency,” said Bryan Bach, Jensen Senior VP of Sales. “By manufacturing components in our NPCA-certified facilities, the work happens in a stable, controlled environment rather than in the elements at Thacker Pass. This approach significantly reduces the number of labor hours required in the field, lowers the risk associated with on-site concrete pours and allows Bechtel's crews at Thacker Pass to focus on installation rather than production.”
“The finished sections were then trucked from our six facilities working on this project to the Thacker Pass site and positioned precisely, which reduced the need for additional on-site pours and compressed the overall construction timeline. It's an approach that scaled well for Thacker Pass and it's one Jensen has refined over decades,” added Bach.
Showcasing Thacker Pass to the Industry
Some of the 159 Jensen-built precast foundations to support the nearly 700 modules of the Workforce Hub.
Jensen recently produced a capabilities video featuring their work at Thacker Pass. Thacker Pass is also featured prominently in their newly released Jensen Built book, a 60-page showcase of Jensen's most notable recent projects across the West. The book will be accessible on the Jensen website, soon. At a recent annual business meeting of Jensen executives, general managers and salespersons, Thacker Pass was voted Project of the Year.
We're glad to see Thacker Pass represented in a way that demonstrates what's possible when Nevada companies work together on meaningful, complex infrastructure.
Jensen Infrastructure is headquartered at 9895 Double R Blvd, Reno, NV 89521. Learn more at jenseninfrastructure.com.