Water, not lithium, is the hard part as California pursues Salton Sea energy plan

Recharge · Tim Ferry · 2026-11-04 12:02 UTC

US effort to build battery storage supply chain must contend with rising demand for scarce water in the nation's fast-growing West

Water, not lithium, is the hard part as California pursues Salton Sea energy plan US effort to build battery storage supply chain must contend with rising demand for scarce water in the nation's fast-growing West An aerial view of a geothermal power plant near the Salton Sea, a landlocked saline lake in California. A deposit of geothermal brine beneath the Salton Sea area is believed to hold one of the planet’s largest reserves of lithium, worth an estimated $500bn.Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images Tim Ferry US Offshore Wind Editor, Recharge Follow me My Alerts is a service for subscribers. Please login or subscribe in order to use My Alerts. SubscribeLogin Technology

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