Imperial Valley Geothermal Project

Imperial Valley Geothermal Project
The J.M. Leathers Geothermal Power Station
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 / 33.16333; -115.61667
Status	Operational
Commission date	1982
Owner	CalEnergy(86.4%) EnergySource (13.6%)
Operator	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 ]}

Description

Los Angeles

San Diego

Mexicali

Salton Sea

Tijuana

Alamo River mouth

Colorado River mouth

Laguna Salada

Yuma

Gulf of California

Colorado River Valley

Cerro Prieto volcano

class=notpageimage|

Salton Trough area. The red lines are simplified faults. Right-lateral direction of motion of the transform fault is shown (pink arrows). The red rhombs are pull-apart basins; the northern one is the site of the Niland (Salton Sea) geothermal field, the southern the Cerro Prieto geothermal field.

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]

Geothermal power and lithium extraction

Further information: Lithium Valley

The geothermal activity below the Salton Sea loosens up lithium that can be mined. ^[4] The California Energy Commission estimates the Salton Sea might produce 600k metric tons of lithium carbonate (Li
_²CO
_³) per year, ^[5] of a reserve of 3.4 million tonnes. ^[6]

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. ^{[7] [8]} 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. ^[9]

Geothermal power stations

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	(2025)
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	Abandoned [10]	18.5 [11]	GeoGenCo	—

See also

• California portal
• Geology portal
• Renewable energy portal

• List of geothermal power stations in the United States
• List of power stations in California

References

1. "Electricity Data Browser - Salton Sea Complex (11 plants)". www.eia.gov. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
2. "The Shrinking Salton Sea and its Impact on Geothermal Development" (PDF). geothermal.org. 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
3. "EnergySource's First Geothermal Plant in Imperial Valley Lauded for Creating Jobs, Boosting the Economy, Delivering Clean Energy to 50,000 Homes; Second Plant to Follow". www.businesswire.com. May 18, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
4. Fernández, Caleb J. (August 31, 2021). "Lithium fuels hope for Salton Sea". KYMA. Associated Press. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
5. Alistair MacDonald and Jim Carlton. (February 8, 2022). "Where Is There More Lithium to Power Cars and Phones? Beneath a California Lake.". Wall Street Journal Retrieved February 9, 2022.
6. Ferry, Tim (November 29, 2023). "'Once in a generation' | US confirms huge lithium deposits in California's Salton Sea". Recharge | Latest renewable energy news.
7. "Lithium will fuel the clean energy boom. This company may have a breakthrough". Los Angeles Times. October 14, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
8. "California needs clean energy after sundown. Is the answer under our feet?". Los Angeles Times. January 22, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
9. Cohen, Ariel (July 26, 2021). "General Motors Moves To Secure Its Own Critical Mineral Supply Chains". Forbes. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
10. "Order to Plug and Abandon Wells, Pay Assessment Fees, and Pay Civil Penalties" (PDF). California Department of Conservation. June 4, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
11. "GeoGenCo Project #501". GeoGenCo. Retrieved April 1, 2025.