A new study says there is even more lithium in the Salton Sea than previously thought.

The study, by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, says there is up to 18 million metric tons of lithium that can be extracted from the Salton Sea area of Imperial County. That would be enough to support over 375 million batteries for electric vehicles. Prior to the new study, experts believed that Lithium Valley could provide enough lithium to meet America's future demand and a significant portion of the world demand for the essential material. Lithium is essential in the production of batteries for electric vehicles as well as other batteries used in everyday items. The lithium is extracted from the geothermal brines used to generate electricity at various facilities at the south end of the Salton Sea. According to experts, the process is a more environmentally friendly way to extract lithium. Among the companies working on the development of the resource are Berkshire Hathaway Energy, which owns 10 of the 11 existing geothermal power plants at the Salton Sea. EnergySource has a contract with Ford Motor Company to sell lithium and Controlled Thermal Resources has a more than $100 million investment from Stellantis, the makers of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles.