A large lithium deposit has been discovered beneath California's Salton Sea. FOX Business Correspondent Max Gauden talks about concerns about the mining plan and its environmental impact.
The discovery of large amounts of lithium in California's Salton Sea region could boost the domestic supply of the mineral, which plays a key role in lithium production. Electric vehicle (EV) battery.
Large-scale geothermal power generation is currently occurring in the Salton Sea region of Southern California. A 2020 analysis by a California commission found that the region's geothermal brine, a byproduct of power generation, has what is believed to be the highest concentration of lithium in the world.
In November 2023, the Department of Energy announced that an analysis by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that the Salton Sea region may have resources capable of producing more than 3,400 kilotons (or 3.4 million tons) of lithium. did. This is enough to support over 375 million EV batteries. By the way, this is more than the total number of vehicles on the roads in the United States.
Evaporation of parts of the Salton Sea has hurt the region's tourism economy in recent decades, and further lithium mining Emerging geothermal power generation could be the boost the region needs. But some have raised environmental concerns about the project.
Researchers say Arkansas could have 19 million tons of lithium, which is essential for battery power.
In California's Salton Sea region, geothermal energy production has increased, leading to the discovery of large lithium reserves. (David McNew/Getty Images/Getty Images)
FOX Business Network's Max Gaulden spoke with Rod Colwell, CEO of Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR), which is developing a project to extract and process lithium in the region using geothermal energy.
The CTR project has received investment from automakers GM and Stellantis, and other companies also plan to build lithium plants in the area.
“Think about maybe the early days of Big Oil,” Colwell said. “It's a very similar process, and it's cleaner and more environmentally friendly.”
Research reveals lithium deposits found in the US may be the world's largest
Controlled Thermal Resources plans to build a lithium processing facility in Southern California's Salton Sea region. (David McNew/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Two advocacy groups, Earthworks and Citizens Committee, filed suit to delay the project and require stricter safeguards. Environmental impact Regarding water use and handling of hazardous by-products from lithium production.
Earthwork's Jared Naimark said the project and lawsuit “will set a precedent for how these projects move forward, whether or not they follow high environmental protection measures and respect for local communities.” said.
The case is currently pending and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Legal proceedings going on around you Lithium mining in California A recent analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey found that the Smackover Formation in Arkansas could contain between 5 million and 19 million tons of lithium reserves.
Lithium demand and development grows, but U.S. legislation lags behind
Geothermal brines in California's Salton Sea region are thought to contain the highest concentrations of lithium in the world. (Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The US currently imports more than 25% of its lithium. According to the USGS report, from 2019 to 2022, US lithium import volume It is mainly imported from Argentina (51%) and Chile (43%), with significantly smaller amounts from China (3%) and Russia (2%).
Australian lithium mine According to the USGS report, it was the most productive country in the world, followed by Chile and China. According to a January 2024 report, the world's largest lithium reserves were in Chile at 9.3 million tons, Australia at 6.2 million tons, Argentina at 3.6 million tons and China at 3 million tons. For comparison, US lithium reserves were 1.1 million tons.
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Lithium resources measured and indicated in the report are 14 million tonnes in the United States, lower than Bolivia's 23 million tonnes, Argentina's 22 million tonnes, but Chile's 11 million tonnes, Australia's 8.7 million tonnes and China's 14 million tonnes. It exceeded 6.8 million tons.
According to a USGS report, the main end uses for lithium around the world are batteries (87%), followed by ceramics and glasses (4%), lubricating greases (2%), air handling (1%), and continuous casting molds. It is a flux powder. (1%), medical (1%), and other uses (4%).
