$LITHIUM.$TSLA FMC Corp. (NYSE: $FMC Albemarle Co
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And these are just the top players. They all have the advantage of producing from some of the world’s largest lithium deposits in Argentina, Chile, and Australia, and they’re expanding those operations all the time.
Albemarle remains the world’s lithium superpower and has the unique position of owning the only operational U.S. lithium resource.
Tesla Outsources
Last week, we got word that Tesla is looking to expand its latest venture, large-scale solar-plus-storage, into the heart of one of the biggest sources of lithium in the world: Argentina.
Tesla Director of Energy Storage and Microgrids, Bob Rudd, recently met with two Argentine officials: Cabinet Chief Juan Manuel and Minister of Environment and Sustainable Production Javier Montero. Tesla is looking to invest in more renewable technologies in the mostly fossil-fueled area.
Of course, Tesla’s interests don’t end there.
The particular area of Argentina that the company is looking into, the Salar Province, has been referred to in the past as “ground zero” for the fast-growing lithium revolution, which we all know Tesla gets a lot of the credit for.
Moreover, the company’s upcoming Model 3 release paired with its growing energy storage business means it’s going to need a lot of new lithium supply, and fast.
Originally, CEO Elon Musk assured producers that the company would favor suppliers with operations in the U.S., specifically in Nevada, where the Gigafactory is located.
But even though new projects have cropped up since the announcement, they’re still nowhere near supplying even the lower end of Musk’s battery ambitions.