By Ernest Scheyder and Jarrett Renshaw(Reuters) -The Trump administration is seeking an equity stake of as much as 10% in Lithium Americas as it renegotiates terms of the company’s $2.26 billion Energy Department loan for its Thacker Pass lithium project with General Motors, two people familiar with the discussions told Reuters. “But there’s no such thing as free money.”Shares of Lithium Americas rose by roughly 80%, from around $3 a share to $5.54 a share, in aftermarket trading following the news. The $2.93 billion Thacker Pass project was approved by Trump at the end of his first term. The loan from the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) was closed last year by Biden administration officials. Lithium Americas, which has a market value of roughly $750 million, is one of several companies – including ioneer, Exxon Mobil, Standard Lithium and others – developing U.S. lithium projects.