A massive steel giant crept through downtown Cortez Tuesday afternoon, halting traffic on West Main Street and sparking a simple, shared question among dozens of bewildered onlookers: What on Earth is that?
The sight prompted a countywide text alert, inquiries to the Colorado Department of Transportation as crews repositioned traffic lights, and a response from the sheriff’s office, which happened to be making an arrest on the same street for an unrelated matter.
The hundreds-ton commercial ship, inching forward, paused at about 1 p.m. before turning and briefly heading the wrong direction.
An answer to the collective question came later: The load was an empty vessel owned by Omega Morgan, a specialized heavy-hauler and private contractor, passing through en route to the Thacker Pass lithium mine near Winnemucca, Nevada.
It is one of several large components moving through the region as part of a broader effort to build out infrastructure at the Thacker Pass Lithium Project.
Located about 60 miles northwest of Winnemucca in northern Humboldt County, the mine is a source of sedimentary lithium used to produce battery-grade lithium carbonate.
The site is considered one of the world’s largest lithium deposits, according to the Nevada Division of Minerals. Some estimates suggest the mine could produce nearly 25% of the supply needed to meet growing demand for lithium-based energy storage, including rechargeable batteries and electric vehicles.
Federal policies in the United States and other countries have increased the push away from internal combustion engines, raising the stakes for new mining projects.
Several vehicles and components from across the country are traveling to the site, according to Kelly Johnson, an Omega Morgan employee.
“We got several parts being shipped there coming out of Texas, Wisconsin and other states and going to Nevada,” Johnson said.
Initial construction at the mine began in 2023, with completion targeted for 2027. The project faced years of scrutiny, including lawsuits from tribal nations, environmental groups and a rancher. Northern Paiute people inhabited parts of Nevada for thousands of years, and some tribal members asked U.S. courts to halt production.
The lawsuits claimed the area is a sacred site containing ancestral graves, that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s environmental review was flawed, and that the project would harm wildlife and contaminate groundwater. A Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled in 2023 against the environmental and tribal plaintiffs, allowing the project to proceed.
The project is owned by Canadian corporation Lithium Americas, with joint investment from General Motors, and is moving forward in part with a $2.26 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy.
A few dozen spectators lingered on sidewalks Tuesday, filming videos and sharing speculation. By late afternoon, the oversized load rolled out of view and downtown traffic returned to normal.
awatson@the-journal.com
