Musk said Tesla aimed to finish construction of the factory next year and then reach full production about a year later. We need lithium," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at the ceremony. Musk has urged entrepreneurs to enter the lithium refining business, saying it is like "minting money." The refinery is the latest expansion by Tesla into Texas after the company moved its headquarters there from California in 2021. "We are proud that he calls Texas home," Abbott said, saying Tesla and Musk are "Texas's economic juggernauts."

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