As lawmakers scramble on Tesla, plans for lithium extraction by Salton Sea move forward.
But perhaps more important than the action in Sacramento is what’s happening here in the desert, south of the Salton Sea. That’s where Simbol Materials is preparing to start construction on a lithium plant that could give Tesla all the reason it needs to build its so-called Gigafactory in California.
Simbol has developed an innovative — and top-secret — process for extracting lithium from geothermal brine, a leftover of geothermal energy production at the Salton Sea. Lithium is a key ingredient in the batteries used by many electric automakers, and the prospect of abundant lithium — which is now largely produced overseas — could lure Tesla to the Imperial Valley.
After several years of testing its extraction process, Simbol is finalizing designs for a large-scale lithium extraction facility in Calipatria. The company recently secured the funding needed to build the plant, and it plans to start construction before the end of the year.
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