Salton Sea #5 will use about
40% of its power to operate CalEnergy’s on-site Zinc Recovery
Project. The remaining power will be sold to California
Power Grid. CalEnergy's zinc extraction process was first
tested on brine in Alaska in 1995. It was then tested
on a larger scale through a successful demonstration project
operated from early 1996 to late 1997. The Imperial Valley
Zinc Recovery Project is projected to manufacture an estimated
30,000 tons of zinc per year,which will be a profitable
undertaking. However, production volume from this project
should have an insignificantimpact on the mineral's market
price, given that six million tons of zinc are used worldwide
each year.
