The Bureau of Land Management has approved an expansion of the Silver Peak lithium mine in Esmeralda County, authorizing operations across a total of 8,058 acres.
Of that total, 1,601 acres are public lands managed by the BLM.
The Silver Peak facility, located near the small town of Silver Peak, has been in continuous operation since 1965. It remains the only producing lithium mine in the United States, supplying a critical mineral used in batteries for electric vehicles, renewable energy storage systems, and consumer electronics.
According to project documents, the approved expansion will allow the mine’s operator to implement new technologies designed to improve lithium recovery rates. Company estimates indicate the upgraded processes could increase lithium recovery by as much as 100 percent from the same volume of raw material, effectively doubling output without expanding the amount of ore extracted.
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