White House energy advisor John Podesta, along with a group of dignitaries, attended the long-anticipated groundbreaking ceremony on Friday for a groundbreaking $1.85 billion lithium extraction and geothermal power plant located at the southern edge of the Salton Sea. Despite the looming threat of a lawsuit that could delay or halt the project, construction has commenced.
The Hell's Kitchen 1 plant, the first of up to seven planned facilities by developer Controlled Thermal Resources, sits atop a vast underground lithium brine reserve. The company claims it will be the world's first "fully integrated" lithium and renewable power production facility. By extracting boiling, mineral-rich brine from beneath the earth, the plant will generate approximately 40 megawatts of steam power. This process will then separate raw lithium from the waste stream, producing an estimated 25,000 metric tons of commercial-grade lithium hydroxide annually—sufficient to manufacture around 415,000 electric vehicle batteries.
Rod Colwell, CEO of Controlled Thermal Resources, highlighted the significance of the project, stating, "Today, we are building the foundations for a truly sustainable battery materials and clean energy campus that will set new standards for battery supply chain integration in the United States." He emphasized the collaborative effort required for the project's success, involving coordination across all levels of government and robust community support.
Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater, who also spoke at the event, underscored the economic benefits the project could bring to the economically disadvantaged area.
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