Qualla: Imperial Valley Geothermal Project

Imperial Valley Geothermal Project: Introduction

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Tuxyso, CC BY-SA 3.0. Beneath the flat agricultural fields of Imperial County, at depths between one and three kilometers, superheated brine circulates through fractured rock at temperatures approaching 400 degrees Celsius. This is the Salton Sea Geothermal Field, and the eleven power stations that tap it represent the second largest geothermal resource in the United States, surpassed only by The Geysers in Northern California. Together they generate roughly 403 megawatts of electricity from heat that would otherwise remain unused underground. But the power generation is increasingly the secondary story. What the brine contains — lithium, rubidium, cesium, bromine, and other minerals — may matter far more to the coming decades than the electricity.

Image: Tuxyso | CC BY-SA 3.0

Imperial Valley Geothermal Project: Heat from the Rift

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit JacobSA2019, CC BY-SA 4.0. The Imperial Valley's geothermal abundance is a direct consequence of its tectonic setting. The region sits at the northern end of the Gulf of California extensional zone, where the East Pacific Rise — a spreading ridge that opened the Gulf of California — meets the San Andreas F...

Image: JacobSA2019 | CC BY-SA 4.0

Imperial Valley Geothermal Project: The Lithium in the Brine

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Philkon Phil Konstantin, CC BY-SA 3.0. The brine of the Salton Sea Geothermal Field contains lithium at a concentration of approximately 202 parts per million — more than five times the concentration found in the Dead Sea and substantially higher than most lithium brine deposits currently mined commercially. The Calif...

Image: Philkon Phil Konstantin | CC BY-SA 3.0

Imperial Valley Geothermal Project: The Electric Vehicle Connection

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Blervis, CC0. In 2021, General Motors announced a strategic partnership with Controlled Thermal Resources, an Australian company developing a combined geothermal power and lithium extraction facility at the Hell's Kitchen site within the geothermal field. The agreement was designed to secure a...

Image: Blervis | CC0

Imperial Valley Geothermal Project: Potential and Patience

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit The original uploader was Epolk at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5. Geothermal projects operate on long timelines. The technology for extracting battery-grade lithium from geothermal brine at commercial scale is proven in principle but not yet demonstrated at the volumes the projections assume. The 2,950 megawatt total potential of the Salton Sea...

Image: The original uploader was Epolk at English Wikipedia. | CC BY-SA 2.5