Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc has signed an agreement to allow extraction of lithium from its geothermal wells in California, a project that could offer U.S. carmakers and battery producers a secure supply of the metal, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The venture has been in talks to supply Tesla Inc with lithium, a component for batteries to power electric cars, the newspaper reported https://www.ft.com/content/c9760a4e-1a76-11e9-9e64-d150b3105d21, citing people familiar with the company. Berkshire Hathaway's geothermal wells could produce up to 90,000 tonnes of lithium a year worth $1.5 billion at current prices, the report said, citing a fundraising document. 'We see a lot of interest in getting North American supply as automakers start to get further into electric vehicles,' the FT quoted Eric Besseling, a vice president at BHE Renewables, as saying. Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co and Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours.
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