Tesla arm applies to supply electricity in UK: Regulator

LONDON: Tesla's energy subsidiary has applied to become an electricity supplier in Britain, a first such move by tech billionaire Elon Musk's operations outside the US. A notice on the UK energy regulator's website confirmed a weekend media report that Tesla Energy Ventures Ltd had applied for a licence to supply electricity.

The subsidiary of Musk's electric carmaker Tesla currently provides electricity across Texas.

A document formalising the UK application, initially revealed by the Sunday Telegraph, is dated July 18 and signed by Andrew Payne, Tesla's director of energy for Europe.


Tesla Energy, which specialises in solar power and battery storage, did not immediately respond Monday to AFP's request for comment regarding the application on regulator Ofgem's website.

Tesla in 2020 obtained a licence to produce electricity in the UK, notably using solar panels, without selling it directly to consumers.

News of the latest application comes as Tesla suffers a global decline in sales of its cars owing to increased competition and a backlash over Musk's collaboration with President Trump. UK registrations of the brand dropped to 987 in July from 2,462 one year earlier, according to trade data.