One company is pivoting from a test plant to commercial-scale lithium production, as federal officials convene in Imperial County to boost domestic supplies.
Crews are getting ready to dismantle a small geothermal plant that’s been operating for months a couple miles from the southeastern shore of the Salton Sea, at a site aptly known as Hell’s Kitchen.
Controlled Thermal Sources’ Hell’s Kitchen test facility near the Salton Sea in Niland, CA, on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. To stay ahead of the demand curve, Colwell said Controlled Thermal Resources aims to start producing 25,000 tons of battery-grade lithium products a year by 2025. They then plan to ramp up capacity through 2027, eventually producing up to 300,000 tons of lithium annually, or enough to power tens of millions of EV batteries.
He believes businesses, regulators and community members are all starting to grasp the urgency of what needs to happen in this area over the next few years. As evidence, he citesin March, while Department of Energy officials spent Monday and Tuesday with Colwell and other stakeholders during a closed-door meeting to discuss ways to keep projects like his on track.
Until recently, geothermal plants have then sent all of the brine, including the liquified lithium, back down into the earth to help keep the geothermal reservoir stable and to avoid dumping anything above ground, as happens with such operations in some places.
And rather than try to re-engineer things to scale up, Colwell said they plan to simply replicate this first proven setup, allowing different automakers and battery manufacturers to plant their flags near their dedicated wells and plants. Brine pipes at Controlled Thermal Sources’ Hell’s Kitchen test facility near the Salton Sea in Niland, CA, on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. The company’s second announced partner is Stellantis, which makes Jeeps, Chryslers, Fiats and more. Stellantis committed to buy up to 25,000 tones of battery-grade lithium hydroxide per year, over a 10-year term, for use in its North American electrified vehicle production.
So far, Colwell said the price for geothermal lithium sits solidly in between lithium from hard-rock mining, which is the priciest at $9,000 to $11,000 a ton, and lithium from evaporated ponds, which now goes for around $4,000 a ton.Demand for lithium is driving this work today.
They also haven’t factored in silica, which is a created as a pesky byproduct of most mineral recovery efforts. The geothermal plants in the area today pay to have silica landfilled, Colwell said. But CTR already is making money by selling their silica waste to a nearby defense contractor, which is using it to make carbon-free cement.
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