RE: CNBC Video on Elon Musk Tweet11 Apr 2022 15:12
If the Defense Production Act is activted in the US, that presumably then preludes the export of lithium to Europe.
How much LiCO does Musk need for the Berlin Gigafactory? Potential sources are Oz, EU and China. Possibly some emerging in African countries. Of these, I'd have thought buying a Chinese producer was probbaly not possible. And importing Li from Oz is hardly ESG positive.
There's not enough Li in Europe for all the car manufacturers to buy so there may be a scramble for African lithium. And Geomet is complicated by the fact that only a minority stake would be available, the majority being owned by a combination of the Gov and a competitive battery manufacturer. Musk isn't goingto want to share. However this is probably less of a problem for VW/Skoda. So, assuming that Musk's statement kick starts a move for auto companies to buy mines, I'd suggest that by far the most likely candidate would be VW.