Quantifying the Impact of Water Needs for Lithium Production from Geothermal Brines in the Salton Sea KGRA

Geothermal brines from the Salton Sea Known Geothermal Resource Area (SS-KGRA) are highly saline and contain high concentrations of lithium. These brines are currently brought to the surface, used to produce geothermal energy, and then reinjected into the subsurface to maintain pressure in the geothermal reservoir. Before reinjection, there is an opportunity to extract the lithium. This is promising for securing a domestic supply chain of lithium to help meet energy storage needs for transition to a renewable energy grid. Previous analyses of how much water these processes will require in the region are limited by the lack of data available on freshwater use for both geothermal energy production and direct lithium extraction (DLE) processes. In this work, we develop improved estimates for water use in geothermal energy production and DLE processes. Our findings indicate that the water requirements for geothermal facilities may be higher than previously reported, potentially reaching 46.3 acre-feet per year per megawatt (AFY/MW) in some cases, compared to the average of 16 AFY/MW. For DLE, the ion exchange method is identified as potentially more water-intensive than liquid-liquid extraction. Additionally, the need to reallocate agricultural water to support these processes could strain local water resources and lower the water level of the Salton Sea.