Imperial Valley Geothermal Project | |
---|---|
Official name | Imperial Valley Geothermal Project |
Country | United States |
Location | Near Calipatria Imperial County, California |
Coordinates | 33°09′48″N115°37′00″W / 33.16333°N 115.61667°W |
Status | Operational |
Commission date | 1982 |
Owner(s) | CalEnergy(86.4%) EnergySource (13.6%) |
Operator(s) | CalEnergy |
Geothermal power station | |
Type | Dry steam |
Power generation | |
Units operational | 14 units (11 power stations) |
Units planned | 1 unit |
Nameplate capacity | 432.3 MW [1] |
Annual net output | 1,741 GWh (2018) [1] |
External links | |
Commons | Related media on Commons |
Imperial Valley Geothermal Project is a complex of eleven geothermal power stations located in the Salton Sea Geothermal Field, along the southeastern shore of the Salton Sea in the Imperial Valley of California. It is the second largest geothermal field[ clarification needed ] in the United States after The Geysers in Northern California.[ citation needed ]
Parts of Imperial Valley lie atop the Salton Sea Geothermal Field, a region of high geothermal energy with an estimated 2,950 MW of geothermal potential. Of that total, 2250 MW are currently developable, while the remaining 700 MW would become available as the Salton Sea (a saline lake) dries up. [2] About 403 MW is generated by the existing power plants, ten of which are owned by CalEnergy and one by EnergySource. [3]
In 2016, the Australian firm Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) announced plans to build a 140 MW geothermal power plant and a lithium extraction facility capable of producing 15,000 tons (13,600 tonnes) by 2023 and 75,000 tons (68,000 tonnes) by 2027. The company hopes to create a major new domestic source of the mineral, which is a key ingredient used in batteries for electric cars and energy storage. The project is expected to be operational by 2023. [4] [5] General Motors announced a strategic partnership with CTR in 2021 to secure a local supply of lithium. The majority of the battery-grade lithium hydroxide and carbonate for the Ultium battery will come from this plant. [6]
This is a table of all constituent geothermal power stations. [2] [1]
Name | Units | Type | Status | Capacity (MW) | Owner | Commissioned |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A.W. Hoch | 1 | Dry steam | Operational | 45.5 | CalEnergy | 1989 |
CE Turbo | 1 | Dry steam | Operational | 11.5 | CalEnergy | 2000 |
Hell's Kitchen | ? | Dry steam | Planned | 140 | CT Resources | (2023) |
J.J. Elmore | 1 | Dry steam | Operational | 45.5 | CalEnergy | 1989 |
J.L. Featherstone | 1 | Dry steam | Operational | 55 | EnergySource | March 2012 |
J.M. Leathers | 1 | Dry steam | Operational | 45.5 | CalEnergy | 1990 |
Salton Sea 1 | 1 | Dry steam | Operational | 10 | CalEnergy | 1982 |
Salton Sea 2 | 3 | Dry steam | Operational | 20 | CalEnergy | 1990 |
Salton Sea 3 | 1 | Dry steam | Operational | 54 | CalEnergy | 1989 |
Salton Sea 4 | 1 | Dry steam | Operational | 47.5 | CalEnergy | 1996 |
Salton Sea 5 | 1 | Dry steam | Operational | 58.3 | CalEnergy | 2000 |
Vulcan | 2 | Dry steam | Operational | 39.6 | CalEnergy | 1985 |
J.G. McIntosh | 1 | Closed loop | Planned | 20 | GeoGenCo | (2023) [7] |
The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline body of water in Riverside and Imperial counties at the southern end of the U.S. state of California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the Salton Trough, which stretches to the Gulf of California in Mexico.
The Imperial Valley of Southern California lies in Imperial and Riverside counties, with an urban area centered on the city of El Centro. The Valley is bordered by the Colorado River to the east and, in part, the Salton Sea to the west. Farther west lies the San Diego and Imperial County border. To the north is the Coachella Valley region of Riverside County, which together with Imperial Valley form the Salton Trough, or the Cahuilla Basin, also the county line of Imperial and Riverside counties, and to the south the international boundary with Mexico.
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