Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) has begun the company’s drilling program, initiating Stage One of the Hell’s Kitchen Lithium and Power project in Imperial, California. Hell’s Kitchen is the first geothermal project to be built at the Salton Sea in ten years and is the world’s first, fully integrated, new geothermal-lithium facility to commence construction.
In July, General Motors agreed to form a strategic investment and commercial collaboration with CTR to secure sustainably produced lithium from CTR’s Hell’s Kitchen Lithium and Power. (Earlier post.)
Drilling of the first two wells represent an important milestone for the company and for Imperial County, where geothermal plants at the Salton Sea have produced around 450 megawatts of renewable energy for decades.
After completion of the first two wells, the next step is brine testing in preparation for scale-up of power and lithium recovery from the geothermal brine and conversion to lithium hydroxide.
While CTR continues its construction program for Stage 1, the company’s engineering partner HATCH has advanced the engineering program for Hell’s Kitchen - Stage 2.
In addition to working closely with strategic investor General Motors, CTR continues to collaborate with the community, industry, and government to develop a domestic lithium battery supply chain and clean energy hub in the valley. CTR alone, expects to create an estimated 480 construction jobs and 930 project jobs for Stages 1 and 2 at Hell’s Kitchen.
