The UFC Apex didn’t crown a new champion, but the octagon still witnessed a memorable main event in the two-day Elements of Change: Lithium & Strategic Minerals Forum in mid-September. No gloves, no title belt; just two heavyweights joining forces to discuss how best to leverage a different kind of prize: lithium, and the constellation of critical minerals tied to it.   

In one corner, University of Nevada, Reno President Brian Sandoval. In the other, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo. The two didn’t throw punches, but in collaboration, a partnership that landed with the same kind of intensity, staking out the future of energy, industry and Nevada’s role in it.   

University of Nevada, Reno President Brian Sandoval, Staci Alonso and Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo participate in a fireside chat titled “What Lies Ahead” during the Elements of Change: Lithium and Strategic Minerals Forum. The discussion highlighted Nevada’s leadership in innovation, sustainability and the future of energy development.

The main question for the event: Why Nevada is uniquely poised to be a leader in the next waves of global energy production? “Nevada boasts the largest-known lithium deposits in North America,” Lombardo said at the event. “This positions our state as a key player in both national and global supply chains. We have a historic opportunity in our backyard.” Through industry, government and research through the University, Nevada is the Lithium Loop. 

The buzzword at the Forum was “Lithium Loop”: an all-in-one system in which mining, processing, battery manufacturing  and recycling all happen in the same region. Think farm-to-table, but for energy. It’s already happening in Nevada, where lithium-ion batteries power everything from grid  storage and electric vehicles to e-bikes, laptops, and smartphones.   

Think farm-to-table, but for energy. It’s already happening in Nevada, where lithium-ion batteries power everything from grid  storage and electric vehicles to e-bikes, laptops, and smartphones.   

Sandoval put it in sharper terms: “We knew we had lithium deposits, but it had not matured yet, and that’s kind of where the Lithium Loop came from. To have the largest lithium deposit in North America, if not the world, to have that right in our backyard, and to have this advanced manufacturing, the lithium deposits, the largest battery recycler in the world, and then a university all within a 200-mile radius ... you will not find that anywhere else.”   

President Sandoval spoke about Nevada’s deep mining heritage and the University’s vital role in its development, noting that the state’s story is “inextricably intertwined with the history of the University of Nevada.” He highlighted the enduring legacy of the Mackay School of Mines and its more than century-long impact on mining research and education.

The two-day Elements of Change: Lithium & Strategic Minerals Forum emphasized Nevada’s unique position as the only state in the nation with a complete Lithium Loop. Leaders at Nevada Tech Hub agreed that the state’s resources create “an unparalleled opportunity to build a resilient, sustainable domestic supply chain for one of the world’s most critical materials.”   

With these resources, Nevada is positioned not only to meet growing national demand, but to drive the future of advanced energy, job creation and energy security for generations to come.  

Panel discussion during the forum dug into the details, tackling topics such as workforce development, the policy hurdles of permitting, building public trust, and the infrastructure needed to test, scale, and deploy a secure mineral supply chain. Again and again, two questions surfaced: How can Nevada train and keep a skilled workforce, and how can it make sure lithium production stays in-state?   

Again and again, two questions surfaced: How can Nevada train and keep a skilled workforce, and how can it make sure lithium production stays in-state?   

Critical minerals on campus  

“We want to develop a Critical Mineral Center on our campus,” Sandoval said.

“We want to develop a Critical Mineral Center on our campus,” Sandoval said. “We already have faculty, staff, graduate students, and post-docs who can advance this research so Nevada can extract the value and become an even greater leader on the global stage. At the same time,” he said, “there must be balance. We must be mindful of environmental concerns, protect our water, and respect Tribal and public lands. But it can be done.”   

By 2030 the University is aiming  to launch the Great Basin Critical Minerals Resource Center, a facility that would fuse faculty know-how with industry muscle. The idea is equal parts science lab and job training hub. It’s planned as a pilot-scale plant where students get experiential learning working with mineral extraction and processing, while researchers stress-test new ways to pull essential resources from Nevada’s desert rock. With cutting-edge tools like hyperspectral imaging, the center would also map out fresh mineral opportunities and keep the state in the driver’s seat of the supply chain.   

The timing, according to Gov. Lombardo, couldn’t be better. Global demand for critical minerals like lithium is spiking, and Nevada’s geology makes it ground zero for the boom. In 2023, global lithium carbonate imports totaled $7.72 billion, with China being the largest importer ($4.35 billion), followed by South Korea and Japan. For the United States in 2023, imports of lithium carbonate reached $250.6 million, with Chile and Argentina providing the vast majority of that supply, according to World Integrated Trade Solution data.   

The Great Basin Critical Minerals Resource Center is pitched as the missing link, marrying public research power with private-sector speed to accelerate recycling, workforce training, and scalable production. For a state that has long seen its identity tied to mining, this is about staking a claim in the 21st-century version of the gold rush where secure supply chains and national security are on the line, and Nevada is ready to lead.   

For a state that has long seen its identity tied to mining, this is about staking a claim in the 21st-century version of the gold rush where secure supply chains and national security are on the line, and Nevada is ready to lead.   

This is why, for the second year, the Nevada Strategic Growth Initiative, in partnership with the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), the Nevada Battery Coalition and the University of Nevada, Reno brought so many stakeholders together through the Lithium & Strategic Minerals Forum to conduct deep-dive dialogues and form action plans to discuss the future of critical minerals and advanced energy in Nevada. The goal of the Lithium Forum is to foster collaboration across all sectors, paving the way for a robust economy and unlocking the full potential of our state’s natural wealth.  

Looking ahead   

So what’s next? The beauty of this effort is that it’s not just the University of Nevada, Reno spearheading the charge. Institutions of higher education across our state: Great Basin College, Truckee Meadows Community College, Western Nevada College, College of Southern Nevada, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada State, and Desert Research Institute are all part of the coalition. That collaboration, and the opportunity to bring all of these players together, is key to Nevada’s success.   

For Nevada, the fight over lithium isn’t about crowning a champion. It’s about deciding how fast the state can turn its mineral wealth into a powerhouse economy and whether the rest of the world can keep up.