The United States government has granted Ioneer a final permit to begin development of its Rhyolite Ridge Project in Esmeralda County, Nevada. This approval was granted by the Bureau of Land Management ( BLM ), and the project is expected to begin construction in 2025 and reach commercial production in 2028, quadrupling the country’s lithium-boron production capacity.
The Rhyolite Ridge project and production capacity
This project has the potential to transform the lithium supply chain , supplying batteries for more than 370,000 electric vehicles manufactured in the US market annually, according to experts.
” We have worked closely with communities and authorities to ensure that Rhyolite Ridge meets the highest environmental standards .”
Bernard Rowe, CEO of Ioneer.
With an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars, the initiative will create approximately 500 jobs during the construction phase and 350 permanent jobs. In addition, the project will contribute tax revenue to Esmeralda County, strengthening local economies in Nevada.
This development responds to the need for independence in the supply of critical minerals from the United States, which seeks to reduce dependence on imports in this sector, and to improve its transition to clean energy. In fact, Ioneer redesigned part of the project’s infrastructure to protect the habitat of Tiehm’s buckwheat , an endangered plant.
The Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron plant demonstration. Source: Ioneer
The Rhyolite Ridge facility includes technologies to reduce dust, noise and water consumption, demonstrating that strategic mineral production can be compatible with environmental protection. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , the project does not pose a threat to habitat.
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Source and photo: BLM | Ioneer (PDF)
Photo: Ioneer
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