CTR and Hargrove Join Forces to Deliver Sustainable U.S. Lithium Facilities at Hell's Kitchen

·      Controlled Thermal Resources appoints U.S. firm Hargrove Engineers & Constructors to manage construction of its first stage Hell’s Kitchen lithium facilities.

·      Hargrove is a leading engineering contractor in the Unites States specializing in chemical, petrochemical, and refinery developments.

·      The $1 billion development will be the largest integrated facility for the recovery of lithium and production of battery-grade lithium products in the United States.

(Imperial Valley, CA) – Controlled Thermal Resources Limited (“CTR”) has appointed Hargrove Engineers & Constructors as engineering contractor on the company’s $1 billion program to sustainably recover lithium from sub-surface geothermal brine in Imperial County, CA.

Hargrove, a full-service engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPC) firm, has extensive experience delivering large scale industrial projects in the power and chemicals sectors. With 10,000+ successful projects in the chemicals industry and 4,000 in mid-stream and refining, the Hargrove team has involvement in over 450 defense and aerospace programs and 1,500 petrochemicals projects. Hargrove boasts a team of 215 process engineers with chemicals, petrochemicals, and refining experience.  

“We are thrilled to join forces with Hargrove for the next phase of our engineering and construction program.” said Rod Colwell, CTR’s Chief Executive Officer.  “Hargrove has an impeccable track record, and their team’s reputation for driving major industrial projects forward is second to none.”

“Hargrove is pleased to support CTR in their efforts to sustainably recover critical minerals,” said Ralph Hargrove, Hargrove’s president, and CEO. “This is an exciting project offering tangible benefits for the renewable energy sector, and it also aligns well with Hargrove’s sustainability goals.”

Direct lithium recovery from geothermal brines is a positive industry disruptor as it uses a closed-loop process to sustainably recover lithium and return brine to the geothermal reservoir deep beneath the earth. This method utilizes 100% renewable power and steam to produce battery-grade lithium products in one location - with a close-to-zero carbon footprint.

Located within the Salton Sea Geothermal Field in southern California, CTR’s Hell’s Kitchen project expects to produce 49.9MW of renewable power and 25,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide from its first stage. The Hell’s Kitchen project has a projected resource capacity to produce 1,100MW of baseload renewable power and ~300,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) products per year.

Hargrove’s team is currently completing FEL-3 activities and commencing detail design in preparation for construction commencement in 2023.

CTR will open a satellite development office at Hargrove in Houston to support Hargrove in their delivery of the project.

About Controlled Thermal Resources

CTR, through its project companies, specializes in lithium minerals and renewable energy production with projects in advanced development in the United States. The company has headquarters in Imperial Valley, California, USA and Brisbane, Australia. CTR’s leadership team and key consultants have successfully financed, developed, and managed geothermal operations in the Salton Sea region for 25+ years. CTR is committed to delivering sustainable, low-cost lithium products and renewable power to support clean energy initiatives and to ensure a secure and sustainable lithium product supply chain. Additional information is available at: www.cthermal.com

About Hargrove

Founded in Mobile, Alabama, in 1995, Hargrove is a full-service project execution firm specializing in engineering, procurement, construction management, project planning, technical services, and operations. Their team of 2,500+ technical professionals, includes a robust process/chemical engineering team specializing in technology integration, process safety, and greenfield/retrofit projects with refining, petrochemical, oil and gas, renewables, biotech, material handling, and industrial processes. Hargrove’s success stems from building the most talented network of engineers and construction professionals while maintaining long-term client relationships. Hargrove celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2020 and has opened at least one additional location every year since 2016. For more information about Hargrove, or for career opportunities, please visit www.hargrove-epc.com.

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