Tesla In Talks To Buy Lithium From California Based Geothermal Plants

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy is looking to potentially extract large amounts of lithium from its Salton Sea geothermal plants and Tesla is reportedly in talks to be a customer.

Those who have been following Tesla for a long time will remember that the automaker tried and failed to buy a lithium startup in the Salton Sea for $325 million back in 2014.

Now they could be again looking to use lithium from area to supply Gigafactory 1 in Nevada.

Financial Times (paywall) reported that Berkshire Hathaway Energy is in talks with Salton Sea Industries over an agreement to extract lithium from its brines.

PUGPROUD - 1/25/2019 11:38:14 AM

+1 Boost

Lithium supply critical to EV manufacturers. Not surprised Warren Buffet way ahead of the curve.

EVisNow - 1/25/2019 3:11:18 PM

+2 Boost

Warren Buffet way head of the curve ? Current production = 0. He's waiting for someone else to invest money in it before he even starts.

This is the reality of US Lithium production: "The United States produced only about 2 percent of the world’s lithium last year, from a single mine in Nevada."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-minerals-lithium/u-s-electric-car-sector-wary-of-china-seeks-more-domestic-lithium-idUSKBN1J82HS

MDarringer - 1/26/2019 11:10:26 AM

-1 Boost

Given how much of an amoral, greedy bastard he is, I agree.

MDarringer - 1/26/2019 11:09:56 AM

+1 Boost

Is this the same Warren Buffet who lectures people of the evils of wealth as he continues to amass more and more of it?

xjug1987a - 1/26/2019 11:50:06 AM

0 Boost

And says we need higher taxes though he pays his accountants and finance people big time to hide his $$ and pay as little as possible... benefit from the system then tries to be "above" the system... hypocrite...

SanJoseDriver - 2/7/2019 2:55:45 AM

+1 Boost

2nd profitable quarter in a row, even selling cheaper Model 3s. You must be delusional if you think they are going out of business in the near future.