DOE/EIS-0565: Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project; Esmeralda County, Nevada

Summary

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Program Office (LPO) is proposing to issue a loan to Rhyolite Ridge Holdings, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ioneer Ltd., for the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project in Esmeralda County, Nevada. The subject of the DOE loan is for the mine processing facilities and associated infrastructure, and not for the development and operation of the open pit mine. The Project is designed to produce lithium carbonate, a critical component in the manufacturing of advanced electric vehicles.

The proposed project would occur on lands under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). BLM evaluated the project in an Environmental Impact Statement (DOI-BLM-NV-B020-2021-0020-EIS, adopted as DOE/EIS-0565). While Ioneer will be constructing and operating an open pit mine, the subject of the loan being sought from LPO is the sulfuric acid plant, lithium processing facility, and supporting infrastructure and facilities. DOE’s proposed action of providing a loan to Ioneer for the lithium carbonate processing and associated facilities is completely considered in the BLM’s EIS, in which DOE is a cooperating agency.

For more information, see BLM's website for the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Mine Project.