SACRAMENTO – Lithium Valley is on track to become one of the world’s largest sources of lithium, positioning California to be a global hub for battery production and a leader in securing a clean energy future.

A new report led by Lawrence Berkeley National Lab estimates that there’s even more lithium available than previously thought, with up to 18 million metric tons that can be extracted. It could produce more than 3,400 kilotons of lithium, enough to support over 375 million batteries for electric vehicles (EV) – which is more than the total number of vehicles currently on U.S. roads.

WHAT GOVERNOR NEWSOM SAID: “We’ve been all-in on Lithium Valley, building up a global hub for clean energy and making sure that local communities benefit from this once-in-a-generation opportunity. This is further evidence that California is poised to become the world’s largest source of batteries for our cars, homes, and businesses,” said  Governor Newsom.

Before this report, experts believed that Lithium Valley could provide enough lithium to meet all of America’s future demand and more than one-third of global demand – supercharging the transition to EVs.

Governor Newsom’s Lithium Valley Vision positions the state to become a global leader in the deployment of new technologies and environmental protections that can sustainably coproduce lithium with renewable electricity from geothermal power plants. Lithium is extracted as part of clean, geothermal power production – and is the greenest process in the world. 

In March this year, Governor Newsom visited Lithium Valley as part of his State of the State tour – highlighting its importance to the world’s clean energy future and how local communities will be prioritized. (Photo source: Office of Governor)