A U.S. discovery at the Salton Sea, California may revolutionize lithium extraction using geothermal energy, reducing reliance on China.
The U.S. has found significant lithium reserves at the Salton Sea, a dried-up lake near the Mexico border. By using geothermal energy to extract lithium from brine, the U.S. could challenge China’s 90% dominance in the battery market. The method is pollution-free but costly, requiring $40 billion in initial investment. While this could create jobs and reduce environmental impacts, experts caution that industrial-scale testing is still needed, and current battery production remains dependent on Asia.
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