Governor Gavin Newsom Directs $160 Million for Salton Sea Geothermal Power and Battery-Grade Lithium Hub

IMPERIAL VALLEY, CA — Governor Gavin Newsom visited Imperial County on Tuesday to announce $160 million in state infrastructure funding designed to accelerate commercial geothermal power generation and direct lithium extraction (DLE) at the Salton Sea, cementing California's position as a global clean technology hub.

The initiative, branded as the "Lithium Valley Development Action Plan," targets vast underground geothermal reservoirs containing both subterranean superheated steam for 24/7 clean electricity and rich dissolved lithium concentrations.

Powering the Grid and the EV Revolution Under the state grant allocations:

• $90 million is allocated to the Imperial Irrigation District and Southern California Edison to construct high-capacity 500-kilovolt transmission interties connecting new geothermal plants to the statewide CAISO grid.
• $50 million funds commercial-scale direct lithium extraction demonstration refineries, extracting battery-grade lithium hydroxide directly from geothermal brine before reinjecting the cooled brine back underground.
• $20 million establishes the Imperial Valley Clean Energy Training Academy at San Diego State University's Brawley campus to train local residents for union operations and chemical processing jobs.

"California has the natural resources, the innovation, and the workforce to lead the world in clean energy manufacturing," Governor Newsom stated in Brawley. "By unlocking the clean power and lithium beneath the Salton Sea, we are building a domestic supply chain for American batteries, creating thousands of good-paying jobs in the Imperial Valley, and ensuring our electric grid remains reliable 24 hours a day."

Community Safeguards and Royalty Revenue Under state legislation enacted alongside the funding, a dedicated lithium excise tax ensures that 80% of all tax revenues generated from mineral production remain in Imperial County to fund local roads, community health centers, and environmental restoration of the receding Salton Sea shoreline.