Tmdci, a federally recognized tribe located in imperial and riverside counties, CA, seeks funding through the 2025 energy and mineral development program (EMDP) to complete a comprehensive feasibility…

The Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians received a $326,287 Project Grant from the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs under the Minerals and Mining on Indian Lands program (CFDA 15.038) on September 22, 2025, with a completion date of September 21, 2027. The award funds a comprehensive feasibility study for a tribally owned energy generation and storage system designed to serve the tribe's planned industrial hub in Thermal, California. The study will assess tenant energy requirements, evaluate resource availability, and analyze multiple generation and storage configurations—including solar, geothermal, and natural gas options—to develop competitive power rates that undercut current Imperial Irrigation District rates by 8–12 percent.

Deliverables under this grant include a baseline report documenting tenant load profiles and resource potential; a feasibility report with technical, financial, and regulatory analysis of preferred energy options; a preliminary engineering package with updated cost estimates and financial modeling; and a business plan outlining ownership structure, financing strategy, and power purchase agreement frameworks. The project directly supports the tribe's energy roadmap by developing locally controlled, reliable energy infrastructure to enhance economic sovereignty and tenant attraction to the industrial hub, which will focus on lithium battery and critical minerals supply chain businesses within California's Lithium Valley.

Tmdci, a federally recognized tribe located in imperial and riverside counties, CA, seeks funding through the 2025 energy and mineral development program (EMDP) to complete a comprehensive feasibility study for a tribally owned energy generation and storage system to serve its planned industrial hub. The hub will target businesses in the lithium battery and critical minerals supply chain, leveraging tmdcis strategic location within californias lithium valley and its exceptional solar and geothermal resources. The study will directly advance workstream #5 of tmdcis energy roadmap, which prioritizes development of local, tribally controlled energy infrastructure to support industrial growth, enhance sovereignty, and create sustainable economic opportunities. The industrial hub cannot realize its full potential without competitively priced, reliable power. Currently, tenants must rely on imperial irrigation district (IID), whose rates are projected to rise sharply. Tmdcis preliminary modeling indicates a 2535 MW generation project paired with 50100 MWH of storage could provide energy 812 percent below iids projected rates, significantly enhancing tenant attraction. The project will assess tenant energy needs and baseline resource availability, evaluate multiple generation and storage configurations including solar, geothermal, and natural gas, develop competitive rate structures and business models under a tribally owned utility or other governance approach, and deliver a preliminary engineering package and finance-ready business plan.anticipated outcomes include a baseline report detailing tenant load profiles, resource potential, and IID rate benchmarks a feasibility report with technical, financial, and regulatory analysis of preferred options a preliminary engineering package with updated cost estimates and financial modeling and a business plan including ownership structure, financing strategy, and a power purchase agreement framework. The project will also build tmdcis capacity to implement energy infrastructure, directly supporting sovereignty, economic diversification, and job creation.preliminary estimates, to be refined in the study, suggest annual gross revenues of $15$20 million from tenant power purchase agreements and potential wholesale market participation. The project could support 70120 construction job-years and 58 permanent positions, in addition to indirect employment from hub tenants. This project advances tribal self-determination by developing energy infrastructure on tribal lands, supports clean energy and domestic critical mineral supply chain priorities, and positions tmdci to capture a share of the rapidly growing lithium economy while ensuring environmental stewardship and cultural protection.