October 8, 2020
California’s Salton Sea offers chance for US battery supply chain, despite financial, policy challenges
Developing a lithium industry in California’s Salton Sea, an area that experts think could supply more than a third of lithium demand in the world today, could help set up a multi-billion dollar domestic supply chain for electric vehicle batteries, according to a new report from New Energy Nexus. But doing so will require navigating multiple financial and policy-related challenges, including receiving financial backing for demonstrating and commercializing lithium recovery projects, the report noted — without which, manufacturers could be hesitant to enter into contracts with lithium producers.
