Statevolt jumpstarting 'hyperlocal' strategy for California battery sector

S&P Global - Nick Lazzaro

Excerpt:

 Statevolt announced in May its plans to establish a gigafactory near California's Salton Sea along with a preliminary deal to source its lithium supply from Controlled Thermal Resources, a company that is developing lithium extraction operations in the region.

However, lithium chemicals must be processed into refined battery materials, which are then further manufactured into cathodes before being assembled into batteries. Statevolt is now in talks with other companies to bring these intermediate links of the supply chain to the Imperial Valley.

"We are taking this opportunity to explore this area either with partners or looking to collocate with the operators in this space," Carlstrom said. "We are in talks with at least two partners currently for this process, so we don't need to send lithium to China or elsewhere."

CTR currently utilizes brine from the Salton Sea's geothermal field to yield renewable power. The company is now developing operations to also extract lithium from the geothermal brine with a target to produce 20,000 mt/year in 2024 and about 80,000 mt/year by 2026.

Statevolt's supply deal with CTR includes the sourcing of geothermal power for its operations, an arrangement that would further strengthen its hyperlocal approach.

A timeline has not yet been confirmed for when Statevolt will begin construction and start producing batteries.

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