Emerging lithium-boron producer Ioneer has received final approval for its Rhyolite Ridge project from the US Bureau of Land Management.
After receiving the official approval, Ioneer expects to release the revised estimates and cost estimate of the project in December 2024 and advance to the final investment decision with its financial partners in the first quarter of 2025.
The project in Esmeralda County, Nevada is scheduled to begin construction in 2025 and first production in 2028. Its mission is to supply batteries for more than 370,000 EVs produced in the US annually and to process battery materials on site.
About 70% of the engineering has been completed in the processing area, where the company will test and roll out new technologies to reduce water consumption. Ioneer will limit its operating environment by avoiding the use of evaporation ponds and limit its carbon footprint as the steam-powered facility will operate independently of Nevada's power grid.
The official record of decision (ROD) follows last month's release of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)1 by the BLM, which incorporates public feedback received during the April-June open comment period and concludes the agency's formal permit process, which began. in early 2020.
“This permit gives us the license to start construction in 2025 and begin our work to strengthen domestic production of precious minerals,” said Ioneer Managing Director Bernard Rowe.
Source: Ioneer