First Solar to Acquire 5N Plus to Access Tellurium?

[adapted from] Greentech Media
First Solar, the globe's leading producer of thin-film photovoltaic panels, will look to buy 5N Plusto secure its supply of the element tellurium. (...) Although First Solar is the largest cadmium telluride user, there are a few startups looking to replicate its success. The leading aspirants in the CdTe materials system for photovoltaics are Abound Solar [who has a supply agreement with 5N Plus],  PrimeStar Solar, Calyxo/Q-Cells and Solexant.
Tellurium is a byproduct of copper mining and there is an ongoing debate over whether the global tellurium supply can support the growing needs of the solar industry. Prices for tellurium surged from under $100 per kilogram in 2007 to over $200 per kilogram in 2008. It is estimated that 30% of the global tellurium supply goes to First Solar -- and that proportion is increasing [Tellurium is also used to improve the machinability of steel and copper, as well as in CD-RW disks and other semiconductor applications.]. Rising tellurium prices might spur companies to explore a more active exploration and mining operation, rather than depending on tellurium as byproduct. First Solar has been looking for suppliers who would focus on mining tellurium. Capital Mining in Australia announced in May 2008 that First Solar was sending a geologist to check out a newly discovered tellurium deposit.

Estimates vary, but annual global tellurium production is about 160 tons to 260 tons, with demand potentially reaching 800 tons by 2013. At 8 grams of tellurium per 2 foot by 4 foot panel, that's roughly 100 metric tons of tellurium for each gigawatt of PV production. (...) In any case, silicon remains a much more earth-abundant element than tellurium, although tellurium is in strong supply extraterrestrially and in undersea mountain ridges.