Stellantis has invested over $100 million to support the development of Controlled Thermal Resources Holdings’ (CTR) Hell’s Kitchen project in Imperial County, California, a geothermal lithium project with a total resource capacity to produce up to 300,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent each year.
Under a 10-year agreement and an expansion of the initial supply agreement for up to 25,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) per year between the companies, CTR will now supply up to 65,000 metric tons of battery-grade LHM each year starting in 2027. CTR is anticipating creating 480 construction jobs through project labor agreements and more than 940 direct project jobs once the project is operational.
CTR’s project will recover lithium from geothermal brines using renewable energy and steam to produce battery-grade lithium products in a fully integrated process, thereby getting rid of evaporation brine ponds, open pit mines, and fossil-fueled lithium processing.
Stellantis plans to achieve a 100% passenger car BEV sales mix in Europe and a 50% passenger car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the U.S. by 2030, under the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan. The company is acquiring about 400 GWh of battery capacity with six battery manufacturing plants in North America and Europe to attain the target.
Stellantis aims to become a carbon net zero corporation by 2038, all scopes included, with single-digit percentage compensation of remaining emissions.
“With electric vehicle adoption growing rapidly in the U.S. and throughout the world, it has never been more important to ensure battery materials are sourced and produced responsibly,” said CTR Chief Executive Officer, Rod Colwell. “Through localizing the battery supply chain, we can minimize supply chain risk and create thousands of jobs in a disadvantaged community.”
