EnergySource Minerals Receives Approvals on Project ATLiS: Salton-Sea-Based Geothermal Extraction Operation

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif., Nov. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Imperial County Planning Commission approved all aspects of EnergySource Minerals' Project ATLiS. After a nearly yearlong process, the Planning Commission came to favorable approvals on the Conditional Use Permit, the water supply assessment and the environmental impact report.

EnergySource Minerals' ATLiS operation leverages the brine resource of a profitable 55MW geothermal plant that has been running at the Salton Sea site since 2012 and offers step-change improvements in efficiency and reliability of lithium extraction. The John L. Featherstone Plant is currently selling its power pursuant to a 30-year power purchase agreement with Salt River Project.

"We are thrilled to be able to tap into an existing facility and begin decarbonizing the supply chain of lithium for the EV industry," said EnergySource Minerals COO Derek Benson. "To electrify the auto industry by 2030, we need more domestic lithium sources. Project ATLiS set the bar for sustainably sourced lithium, and our ILiAD platform technology will be deployed to other operations in the US and around the world."    

Lithium is the lynchpin in the transition away from fossil fuels to high-performance batteries for transportation and energy storage applications. Geothermal extraction omits the energy-intensive process of extracting lithium from solid rock by using the power of naturally occurring geothermal energy. EnergySource Minerals' geothermal based lithium operations at ATLiS require only 30 acres in total, a small fraction compared to traditional mining methods, and marginal ground and water footprints. Additionally, CO₂ emissions at this location are the lowest of any lithium resource type in the world.

The ATLiS project will also provide direct full-time employment. It is expected to include 60 operations jobs, and a multiple of that in the local services industry, including transportation of goods, contractor, and supplied maintenance. Project ATLiS is anticipated to generate direct, local economic payments in excess of $60,000,000 per year, including payroll, royalties, utilities, and property tax payments.

About ES Minerals

EnergySource Minerals is a privately held company leading the development of Project ATLiS, a premier lithium project located in Imperial County, California, United States – as well as ILiAD platform technology, which can be adapted for geothermal operations around the world.

EnergySource Minerals' team is comprised of leaders in industrial project development, continuous adsorption and ion exchange processes, and battery materials. A 30-year veteran of ion exchange and adsorption technology, Dr. Charles Marston has led the ILiAD technology project as Senior Development Officer. Dr. David Deak (President of Marbex LLC, former CTO of Lithium Americas, ex-Tesla) and John Featherstone, CTO of EnergySource Minerals, provide leadership support for ILiAD and our own project development efforts.

Media Contact
Erinn Lynch
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(805) 570-0990

SOURCE EnergySource Minerals