Dec 4 (Reuters) - Lithium Americas Corp said on Friday the U.S. government has published the final environmental report for its Nevada lithium project, with full federal permitting expected by early 2021.

Lithium is used to make electric vehicle batteries, and Lithium Americas and others are projecting a surge in demand over the next decade.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which oversees much of the country's federal land, issued the final environmental impact statement after more than a decade of review of the company's Thacker Pass project in northern Nevada.

The company said it expects a record of decision, the last step in the federal permitting process, early in the new year. Nevada state officials are still reviewing a water permit for the project.

Lithium Americas has said it plans to spend $400 million on the first phase of its Thacker Pass project with output of 20,000 tonnes of lithium annually. The mine is expected to open by 2023.

The company has hired Nacco Industries Inc to build and run Thacker Pass, where lithium is found in clay rock. The company plans to use a proprietary acid leaching process to extract the lithium. (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)