Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) announced that its Hell’s Kitchen Critical Minerals and Power Project in Imperial Valley, California, has been designated a FAST-41 Covered Project by the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council. This recognition, granted under the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, highlights the project’s role in enhancing U.S. critical minerals and energy security.

The optimization plant of Controlled Thermal Resources, taken April 2023

The FAST-41 designation ensures a streamlined federal permitting process for significant infrastructure projects, offering transparent timelines and coordinated agency oversight via the Federal Permitting Dashboard. Located southeast of the Salton Sea Geothermal Field in Imperial County, Hell’s Kitchen aims to extract lithium and other critical minerals using geothermal energy, while generating renewable power.

The project’s power plant will convert geothermal brine into steam to produce electricity, which will support onsite mineral extraction and conversion into battery-grade lithium hydroxide or carbonate for the battery industry. Initially, Hell’s Kitchen will produce 50 MW of geothermal power and 25,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide annually, with plans to scale up to 500 MW and 175,000 metric tons. A groundbreaking ceremony took place in early 2024.

Rod Colwell, CTR’s CEO, stated: “FAST-41 Coverage signifies a critical federal recognition of the Hell’s Kitchen Project. To qualify, projects must meet rigorous criteria, and we are honored to be recognized as a priority development.” He added: “CTR’s capacity to deliver essential resources needed to power America’s future cannot be overstated. We applaud the federal government’s decisive and efficient actions to accelerate development, encourage private investment, and create thousands of good-paying American jobs.”

Emily Domenech, Permitting Council Executive Director, noted: “I’m pleased to welcome the Hell’s Kitchen Critical Minerals and Power Project to FAST-41 coverage. This innovative combined mining and processing effort is exactly the kind of next generation project the Permitting Council should enable.”

The designation initiates a 21-day period for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to invite cooperating agencies and a 60-day window to develop a coordinated project plan. Hell’s Kitchen will provide reliable renewable power for data centers and AI infrastructure, alongside domestically sourced minerals for manufacturing, supporting U.S. economic and energy resilience.