Scope transmission backbone upgrade study
Determine the scope and cost of a transmission backbone upgrade before committing to semiconductor or battery-materials siting, since power generation alone will not resolve the constraint.
Framed as a prerequisite study because evidence shows generation capacity is not the binding constraint — transmission is. Committing to siting before scoping this would risk stranded investment.
| ID | Date | Category | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IVE-009 | 2026-02-24 | Energy | High | Transmission backbone capacity, not generation, is the binding constraint on how much new geothermal and solar power can reach industrial load in the near term. |
| ID | Date | Category | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| IVE-009 | 2026-02-24 | Energy | Transmission backbone capacity, not generation, is the binding constraint on how much new geothermal and solar power can reach industrial load in the near term. |
| IVE-008 | 2026-02-21 | Logistics | Union Pacific's Imperial Valley segment operates at an estimated 35–40% of rated freight capacity based on 2025 regional rail plan data, leaving meaningful headroom before new siding or double-tracking investment would be required. |
| IVE-007 | 2026-02-20 | Land Use | Several parcels are zoned for industrial use but lack committed water or power allocations. |
| IVE-006 | 2026-02-19 | AI Infrastructure | At least one hyperscale data center developer has conducted a non-binding site visit citing geothermal power availability, per regional economic development office disclosures; no land option or power purchase agreement has been confirmed. |
| IVE-005 | 2026-02-17 | Logistics | Calexico border crossing has existing commercial freight capacity but is subject to periodic congestion. |
| IVE-004 | 2026-02-15 | Agriculture | Irrigated farmland accounts for the large majority of current regional water use, framing the siting tradeoff for industrial users. |
| IVE-003 | 2026-02-14 | Critical Minerals | Direct lithium extraction (DLE) has been piloted at sub-commercial scale (under 1,000 tonnes LCE/year) by at least two operators in the basin; no facility in the region has yet reached the 20,000+ tonne annual scale assumed in early feasibility work. |
| IVE-002 | 2026-02-12 | Energy | Salton Sea geothermal field has approximately 400 MW of installed generation capacity across 11 operating plants, with brine assays indicating lithium concentrations of 200–400 mg/L — among the highest documented geothermal brine grades in North America. |
| IVE-001 | 2026-02-10 | Water Rights | IID holds a Colorado River entitlement of approximately 3.1 million acre-feet annually under the 1934 water rights compact, currently allocated at over 97% to agricultural use with no unallocated industrial reserve. |
New geothermal and solar generation cannot reach industrial load faster than the transmission backbone can be upgraded — the chokepoint is transmission capacity, not generation capacity. This constrains the power arm, the semiconductor candidate site, and the battery materials candidate site simultaneously.
Calexico crossing capacity is adequate today but sensitive to periodic congestion that could affect cross-border logistics scenarios.
Direct lithium extraction from geothermal brine has not yet been demonstrated at commercial scale at this specific site.
Colorado River allocation is fully subscribed to agricultural use; any industrial siting decision must account for this before land or power availability.
- ?Final upgrade cost estimate pending engineering study
- ?Utility cost-recovery mechanism not yet determined
Outcome not yet recorded — this decision may still be open.
No lessons learned recorded for this decision.