How ABB is Electrifying North America's Largest Lithium Mine

As the energy sector grapples with increasing demand for battery materials, Lithium Americas has named ABB its electrification partner for the Thacker Pass mining project in Nevada.

The site is North America's largest known lithium resource and the collaboration provides a major domestic source of a critical component for the energy transition.

The partnership involves ABB implementing a comprehensive electrification infrastructure to power the mine.

Bolstering the lithium supply chain

The facility has a production target of 40,000 metric tonnes of lithium carbonate annually – enough for approximately 800,000 EV batteries.

The development at Thacker Pass is being watched curiously by the wider industry, with mining often considered a 'hard-to-abate' sector where implementing sustainable practices presents considerable challenges.

A key objective of the Thacker Pass project is to help establish a secure domestic lithium supply chain.

The continued growth in demand for electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage systems underpins the strategic importance of this initiative.

By developing a reliable source of lithium in North America, the project aims to reduce reliance on international markets for this essential battery material.

"This collaboration with ABB marks an important milestone in our journey to safely and responsibly produce lithium from Thacker Pass," explains Richard Gerspacher, Executive Vice President (EVP) of Capital Projects at Lithium Americas.

"ABB's technology and expertise supports our efforts to deliver lithium for the US market, creating economic benefits for American workers, companies and communities."

By integrating efficiency and safety protocols from the project's inception, the facility plans to avoid the complexities of retrofitting these systems at a later stage.

A blueprint for sustainable mining

The collaboration between ABB and Lithium Americas serves as a model for how energy-intensive industries can operate more sustainably.

ABB provides a wide array of its technologies, including switchgear, motor control centres and variable speed drives.

ABB also supplies auxiliary power distribution packages and a site-wide power management system, all integrated within electrical buildings designed for demanding field environments.

Björn Jonsson, Global Business Line Manager for Mining & Materials at ABB Process Industries, sees the project as "a blueprint for the future of mining – electrically and digitally optimised".

"We're proud to support Lithium Americas in building a resilient lithium supply chain for energy independence," he says.

This approach aligns with ABB's eMine portfolio, which facilitates the move to all-electric mining through integrated electrification, automation and digital solutions.

ABB works alongside Lithium Americas and its engineering partner Bechtel across the full project lifecycle.

Integrating power management and digitalisation

A central feature of the project's design is the integration of digital platforms to enable close monitoring of energy consumption, asset health and operational productivity.

ABB's scope covers full project management and engineered solutions, delivering specialised electrical power distribution and digital power management systems housed in modular electrical buildings.

These systems are engineered for durability and performance in remote locations where maintenance access can be limited.

The electrification strategy is designed to help lower CO₂ emissions while maintaining high levels of productivity.

The technologies provided by ABB aim to improve energy efficiency, supporting mining companies in their pursuit of sustainability targets without a loss of operational output.

The Thacker Pass project represents an important test case for integrating advanced electrification systems in large-scale lithium operations from the beginning, a challenge many in the energy and resources sector currently face.