RANKED: World’s largest clay and hard rock lithium projects

Lithium is a key battery material used to power electric cars, smartphones and laptops and the price smashed record levels this month, reaching $71,315 a tonne in China, where the Passenger Car Association raised its forecast for sales of EVs to 6 million this year, double the total in 2021.

Elon Musk grabbed headlines when he called lithium refiners margins “insane” as Tesla’s battery metals bill balloons to $100 billion, but China may find it hard to cool lithium’s price rally this time around.

In a snapshot of the global project pipeline, Miningintelligence data provides a ranking of the largest projects in 2022, based on total reported lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) resources and measured in million tonnes (mt).

#1 Bonnie Claire

Development Status: Preliminary Economic Assessment / Geology: Sediment Hosted

In first place is Iconic Minerals and Nevada Lithium Resources Bonnie Claire project in Nevada, where the companies reported a 18.3 mt resource. The plan of operation at the project in the Sarcobatus Valley includes 39 proposed future drill sites.

#2 Thacker Pass

Development Status: Permitting / Geology: Sediment Hosted

Lithium Americas Corp’s Thacker Pass project, also in Nevada, is in second place with an 18.1 mt resource. The project is designed as a two-phase open-pit.

#3 Manono

Development Status: Feasibility / Geology: Pegmatite

The Manono project in the Democratic Republic of Congo is in third place with a 16.4 mt resource. The project’s majority owner, Australian miner AVC Minerals is duping out in court with investors, including China’s Zining Mining Group, to retain control of the project.

#4 McDermitt

Development Status: Scoping / Geology: Sediment Hosted

Jindalee Resources’ McDermitt project in Southeast Oregon is in fourth place with a 13.2 mt resource.

#5 Sonora

Development Status: Feasibility / Geology: Sediment Hosted

Bacanora Lithium’s Sonora project in Mexico is in fifth place with an 8.8 mt resource. Bacanora is being acquired by China’s Ganfeng Lithium, and has said that Mexico’s bill to declare lithium a strategic mineral and reserve its extraction for the state will not affect the project. 

#6 Cinovec

Development Status: Feasibility / Geology: Greisen

The Cinovec project in the Czech Republic, owned by CEZ Group, has a 7.3 mt LCE resource, snagging sixth place. In 2020, EIT InnoEnergy, the innovation engine of the European Battery Alliance initiated by the European Commission entered into an alliance to advance construction for Cinovec, the largest hard rock lithium deposit in Europe.

#7 Mount Holland-Earl Grey Lithium

Development Status: Construction / Geology: Pegmatite

SQM-Wesfarmers joint venture, Mount Holland-Earl Grey Lithium in Western Australia, takes seventh place with a 7.0 mt resource.

#8 Jadar

Development Status: Feasibility / Geology: Sediment Hosted

Rio Tinto’s Jadar project in Serbia has a 6.4 mt resource. The world’s second largest miner faces local opposition for the project, but is keen to reopen talks with the Serbian government after it revoked licenses in January after protests sparked by environmental concerns about the planned mine.

#9 Clayton Valley

Development Status: Feasibility / Geology: Sediment Hosted

Cypress Development’s Clayton Valley project in Nevada is in ninth place with a 5.8 mt resource. The project last year received US federal approval for operations.

#10 Zeus

Development Status: Prefeasibility / Geology: Sediment Hosted

Rounding out our list is Noram Lithium’s Zeus project, also in Nevada’s Clayton Valley, with a 5.7 mt resource. The property is less than 1 mile to the east of Albemarle’s Silver Peak mine, which is currently the only lithium production facility in the US.

Find more Miningintelligence data here.