| Imperial Valley Geothermal Project | |
|---|---|
 The J.M. Leathers Geothermal Power Station | |
| Official name | Imperial Valley Geothermal Project |
| Country | United States |
| Location | NearCalipatria 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 | 432.3MW[1] |
| Annual net output | 1,741 GWh(2018)[1] |
| External links | |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
 | |
Imperial Valley Geothermal Project is a complex of elevengeothermal power stations located in theSalton Sea Geothermal Field, along the southeastern shore of theSalton Sea in theImperial Valley ofCalifornia. It is the second largest geothermal field[clarification needed] in theUnited States afterThe Geysers inNorthern California.[citation needed]
Parts ofImperial Valley lie atop theSalton Sea Geothermal Field, a region of highgeothermal 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]
The geothermal activity below the Salton Sea loosens uplithium that can be mined.[4] TheCalifornia Energy Commission estimates the Salton Sea might produce 600k metric tons oflithium carbonate (Li
2CO
3) per year,[5] of a reserve of 3.4 million tonnes.[6]
In 2016, theAustralian 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 forelectric cars andenergy 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]
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 | — |
