The Trump administration is pushing for a significant equity stake in Lithium Americas, a leading U.S. lithium developer, as part of negotiations to restructure repayment of a $2.26 billion Department of Energy (DOE) loan, according to a Reuters report.
Despite frequently criticizing clean energy policies as the “green new scam,” the administration is seeking as much as 10% ownership in Lithium Americas. A White House official told Reuters: “President Trump supports this project. He wants it to succeed and also be fair to taxpayers. But there’s no such thing as free money.”
Lithium Americas is currently developing the Thacker Pass mine in Nevada, which is projected to become the largest lithium mine in the Western Hemisphere. Once operational, the mine’s first phase could supply enough lithium to power production of 800,000 electric vehicles annually.
President Trump originally approved the project’s permit during his first term, while the DOE loan was issued under the Biden administration’s Loan Program Office. The latest negotiations mirror recent deals where the U.S. government has secured stakes in Intel and MP Materials as part of strategic industrial investments.
General Motors (GM), which purchased a 38% stake in Lithium Americas for $625 million last year, has exclusive rights to buy the mine’s first-phase output and part of the second-phase supply, enough for 1.6 million EVs over 20 years. As part of the talks, the Trump administration is also pressing GM to guarantee its purchase commitments, even as the administration continues to push back against automakers’ broader transition to electric vehicles.
The outcome of these negotiations could reshape the future of U.S. lithium supply, a critical resource for electric vehicle batteries and the clean energy transition.
