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Published: November 12, 2026 |
Century Lithium said the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) has issued a water pollution control permit (WPCP) for the company’s Tonopah Airport Lithium Processing Demonstration Facility.
The company also released an update on progress at the site, which supports its 100 percent owned Angel Island Lithium Project in Esmeralda County, Nevada. The BLM recently approved Century Lithium’s Angel Island Mine plan of operations.
“Receiving the water pollution control permit is a key step in our efforts to reconstruct and upgrade the demonstration plant in Tonopah. The plant has already demonstrated continuous operation of our patent-pending process, a combination of hydrochloric acid leaching and direct lithium extraction to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate from bulk samples of lithium clay from Angel Island,” said said Bill Willoughby, president and CEO of Century Lithium.
“Our plan going forward with the demonstration plant is to complete the test work outlined in the 2026 feasibility study, continue to physically show the efficiency of our process, and pursue R&D initiatives, including recovery of other critical minerals from Angel Island, when funded,” added Willoughby.
The WPCP authorizes the construction, operation, and closure of the facility. The WPCP covers the process building and two existing double-lined tailings ponds with leak detection on site. Before operations can begin, the WPCP requires the two ponds to be certified through hydrostatic testing of their liner and leak detection systems. That work is underway.
Other pre-operational requirements include submitting updated operating plans and a notice of intent to operate and completing an NDEP facility inspection. The company, through its wholly owned subsidiary Cypress, also holds a class II general air quality operating permit issued by NDEP’s Bureau of Air Pollution Control for the Tonopah Airport site.
The demonstration plant will be constructed on an industrial site at the Tonopah Airport, which the company leases from Nye County and where the company’s Nevada office is located. Because the site is airport property, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must review and approve any new construction and non-aviation use, which includes an environmental review. The FAA’s environmental review is nearing completion, and the company is awaiting FAA approval to construct the process building.
DEMONSTRATION PLANT AND METALLURGICAL TESTING
The company has purchased a steel building for the demonstration plant, with engineered modifications to suit the plant layout. The concrete foundation slab for the process building is complete and has been sealed with a chemical-resistant coating. Construction will begin upon receipt of FAA approval.
When operational, the demonstration plant will be used to complete the structured metallurgical testing recommended in the 2026 feasibility study. This includes full test runs on claystone zones 1 and 2 and evaluating improvements to leaching, direct lithium extraction, lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide production. The 2026 feasibility study also recommended further evaluation of the economic potential of rare earth element (REE) recovery at Angel Island.
Metallurgical testing for Angel Island has continued at the company’s laboratory in Butte, Montana, independent of the demonstration plant schedule. Research into an enhanced chlor-alkali-based process is also underway at the Butte laboratory. This work examines alternatives to atmospheric leaching that could reduce the project’s overall power requirements.
Century Lithium is an advanced-stage lithium development company focused on its 100 percent owned Angel Island lithium project in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Angel Island hosts one of the largest known sedimentary lithium deposits in the United States and is designed with an integrated, end-to-end process for the on-site production of battery-grade lithium carbonate to support the electric vehicle and battery storage markets. The company has developed a patent-pending process that incorporates hydrochloric acid leaching combined with direct lithium extraction to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate. As part of the integrated chlor-alkali process, Angel Island is designed to produce sodium hydroxide as a co-product, with planned surplus sales expected to lower operating costs, reduce reliance on externally sourced reagents, and minimize environmental impacts. Century Lithium is currently advancing Angel Island through the permitting process.
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