力拓表示，此次交易将以全现金方式进行，交易价格为每股5.85美元，较Arcadium上周五每股3.08美元的收盘价溢价90%。After the acquisition is completed, rio tinto will become the world's third largest lithium supplier. Since the beginning of this year, lithium prices have remained depressed due to basic supply and demand factors, with the global benchmark price of lithium carbonate falling by more than 20%, reaching $10,800 per ton.
Against the background of oversupply in the lithium market, mining giants are making a large-scale entry into the industry.
On Wednesday, the mining giant$Rio Tinto (RIO.US)$announced that it has reached a final acquisition agreement worth $6.7 billion with the American lithium producer$Arcadium Lithium (ALTM.US)$.
Rio Tinto stated that this transaction will be conducted in full cash, with a transaction price of $5.85 per share, a 90% premium over Arcadium's closing price of $3.08 per share last Friday. If the acquisition plan is successfully completed, Rio Tinto will become the third largest lithium supplier in the world, behind only$Albemarle (ALB.US)$And.$Sociedad Quimica Y Minera De Chile (SQM.US)$.
Before rio tinto launched the acquisition offer, CreditSights analysts had previously stated that for rio tinto, compared to investing billions of dollars in building green projects in high-risk legal jurisdictions, mergers and acquisitions "may be a better way to quickly gain access to the lithium business".
CreditSights says:
"This transaction will not only allow rio tinto to increase its lithium assets, but also enable rapid expansion through brownfield investments."
CEO of rio tinto, Jakob Stausholm, stated:
"This acquisition is an important step forward in Rio Tinto's long-term global strategy. We will create a world-class lithium business together with leading aluminum and copper businesses to supply the materials needed for energy transition."
Rio Tinto's major entry into the lithium mining market comes at a time when the industry is at a low point. Influenced by fundamental supply and demand factors, lithium prices have fluctuated downward.
Analysts such as Matty Zhao from Bank of America Merrill Lynch indicated that there is currently no substantial rebalancing in the lithium mining market due to oversupply. As electric car sales slow down, global lithium demand also decreases, keeping lithium prices under pressure.
According to related data, as of this year, the benchmark price of lithium carbonate, which accounts for 99.2% of the global market, has cumulatively fallen by more than 20% to $10,800 per ton. The spot price of lithium carbonate in China has also dropped by over 30%, closing today at 73,700 yuan per ton.
Editor/ping
