A groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday for the world's first fully integrated lithium and renewable power production facility.

The $1.85 Billion facility is being built by Controlled Thermal Resources Holdings, Inc (CTR) on the Southend of the Salton Sea. The development is the first of seven project stages, including a clean energy geothermal power plant integrated with a lithium production facility, which is expected to produce 25,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate each year. This is projected to support the annual production of approximately 415,000 electric vehicles. This first stage development is central to CTR's larger vision for the Lithium Valley Campus. That vision includes the co-location of specialized battery material manufacturers onsite. This would consolidate a currently fragmented battery supply chain and, eventually, could create thousands of jobs in Imperial County. 

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by local elected officials and dignitaries and John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation.