What is Lithium Valle?
Lithium is a multi-billion dollar mineral buried underneath the Imperial Valley soil. And due to the sudden exploding demand for lithium used in batteries — electric vehicles and other devices — extracting such a resource has enormous ramifications for the region the state is calling the Lithium Valley.
Lithium Valle is a newsletter observing the on-the-ground developments (and stories) in the pursuit of lithium extraction in Southern California.
When does this newsletter come out?
Lithium Valle is published on Fridays. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox. Sign up here.
Join the Facebook Group
You’re also encouraged to join the dedicated Facebook Group — Lithium Valley Updates — where we post information about meetings, news alerts and other updates related to the Lithium Valley. NOTE: The group is private so you may need to wait a day for approval.
A Lithium Valley primer
Don’t know much about lithium or the Lithium Valley? Here’s a short primer to get you up to speed:
Lithium is an underground mineral that’s extracted and used in electric batteries. And the demand for lithium is exploding.
To meet the U.S. goal of bringing electric vehicles (EV) to a mass market, EV makers are going to need as much lithium as possible.
Only a few places in the world extract lithium in mass quantities: Australia, South America, China and Africa. But it is estimated that the lithium in the Imperial Valley can meet as much as one third of the world’s demand.
But extracting lithium has often been associated with catastrophic damage to the environment. Energy companies in the Lithium Valley are proposing a different and more environmentally sound method.
At the moment, 11 geothermal plants in the southeast portion of the Salton Sea extract hot, pressurized water (known as brine) from deep underground to produce clean energy.
The companies behind those 11 plants include EnergySource and CalEnergy, which is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energies. A third company, Controlled Thermal Resource (CTR), is set to build its own plant within the next two years.
Both the U.S. Department of Energy and the California Energy Commission are funding research and development to figure out how to extract lithium in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.
The timeline of events and how all of this will impact the Imperial Valley — a region historically known for agriculture and desert life — is still in its early stages.
Other key players anticipating the mass-lithium extraction in the Imperial Valley include the Lithium Valley Commission (commissioned by the CEC), the Imperial County Board of Supervisors, the U.S Department of Energy and, of course, private companies.
Money is a huge factor driving the interests of agencies and private companies that want to extract lithium from the Imperial Valley.
Berkshire Hathaway Energy has estimated that the region’s 11 plants could potentially produce more than $1 billion worth of lithium annually. And that could create hundreds of new jobs in Imperial County.
Essential links on the topic:
The Guardian: In search of ‘Lithium Valley’: why energy companies see riches in the California desert
Los Angeles Times: Drilling for ‘white gold’ is happening right now at the Salton Sea
Wall Street Journal: Where Is There More Lithium to Power Cars and Phones? Beneath a California Lake.
Spectrum News 1: Salton Sea is key to CA's EV future, contains 1/3 of global lithium supply
Canary Media: Can the US take the lead on cleaner lithium production?
Seeking Alpha: A Look At The Geothermal Lithium Sector And Some Miners
KESQ News 3: Troubled Waters: The Lithium Lift at the Salton Sea
