Century Lithium’s Angel Island Mine Plan Clears BLM Completeness Review
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has determined that Century Lithium’s Mine Plan of Operations and Nevada Reclamation Permit Application for the Angel Island Lithium Project is complete. The decision moves the 100%-owned Nevada project toward environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act.
- The BLM deemed Angel Island’s mine plan complete under 43 CFR § 3809.411.
- The Nevada lithium project is moving toward environmental review under NEPA.
- The BLM must still determine whether an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement is required.
- The Permitting Dashboard lists February 4, 2028, as the target date for the Record of Decision.
- Remaining baseline studies for the proposed water supply pipeline route are pending.
BLM accepts plan as complete
The BLM’s Battle Mountain District, Tonopah Field Office reviewed the plan for Angel Island, which is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada. In a letter dated November 3, 2026, the agency told Century Lithium that the plan was complete under 43 CFR § 3809.411.
The plan sets out the project’s components and will provide the basis for the BLM’s environmental review and analysis under NEPA. Century Lithium President and CEO Bill Willoughby called the determination “an important milestone for Angel Island” and said it confirms that the project is ready to enter the environmental review phase.
Environmental review still has several steps
The completeness determination does not constitute final approval of the mine plan. Century Lithium said remaining baseline studies connected to the proposed water supply pipeline route are still pending.
Once those studies and reports are completed and accepted, the BLM will determine the appropriate level of NEPA review. The project could proceed through an Environmental Assessment or an Environmental Impact Statement. After that determination, a third-party NEPA contractor will prepare a Supplemental Information Report and Supplemental Environmental Reports to support the NEPA document and the project’s environmental analysis.
Following completion of the NEPA analyses and the public scoping process, the plan will be revised as necessary. The BLM can then officially approve the Mine Plan of Operations. Century Lithium said it will provide updates on the review process and schedule after the agency determines the level of review.
Project timeline and planned development
Angel Island is designated as a Transparency Project under the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council’s FAST-41 program, with the BLM acting as lead agency. The Federal Infrastructure Permitting Dashboard currently lists February 4, 2028, as the target date for issuing the project’s Record of Decision. Century Lithium cautioned that the federal schedule may change as the review progresses.
Century Lithium describes Angel Island as an advanced-stage lithium development project focused on an integrated, end-to-end process for producing battery-grade lithium carbonate on site. The company says its planned process combines hydrochloric acid leaching with direct lithium extraction. The project is also designed to produce sodium hydroxide as a co-product through an integrated chlor-alkali process.
For the company, the BLM decision marks progress in permitting, but the project remains subject to environmental analysis, public scoping, further baseline work and a later decision on the plan. Century Lithium also states that its forward-looking schedules and development expectations are subject to risks and uncertainties.
