MP Materials, Lynas Rare Earths Merger Falls Through
MP Materials, Lynas Rare Earths Merger Falls Through
Australia's Lynas Rare Earths Ltd (OTCPK: LYSCF) officially terminated confidential discussions with U.S.-based MP Materials Corp (NYSE:MP), ending speculation about creating a rare earths leader.
澳大利亚Lynas稀土有限公司（OTCPK：LYSCF）正式终止了与总部位于美国的国会议员材料公司（纽约证券交易所代码：MP）的机密讨论，结束了有关创建稀土领导者的猜测。
The two producers have a combined market cap of $6.44 billion, commanding the largest influence on that market outside of China.
这两家生产商的总市值为64.4亿美元，是除中国以外对该市场的影响最大的国家。
"Lynas confirms it has held confidential discussions with MP Materials Corp regarding a potential transaction, however, these discussions are not ongoing," its management stated in a press release.
其管理层在新闻稿中表示：“Lynas证实已与MP Materials Corp就一项潜在交易进行了机密讨论，但是，这些讨论尚未进行中。”
China currently dominates the rare earths market, controlling around 87% of global refining capacity, with even large operators like MP Materials relying on the country's support. In 2022, MP Materials sent around 43,000 tons to Chinese refineries.
中国目前在稀土市场占据主导地位，控制着全球约87％的炼油能力，即使是像MP Materials这样的大型运营商也依赖该国的支持。2022年，MP Materials向中国炼油厂运送了约43,000吨。
As the slowdown economy, the prices of rare earths have sharply dropped. Despite the calamity, China continued banning exports, adding the technology to make rare earth magnets to that list.
随着经济放缓，稀土价格急剧下跌。尽管发生了灾难，但中国继续禁止出口，将制造稀土磁铁的技术添加到该清单中。
"What's happened in China over many years is that they've invested heavily and cleverly in the processing capacity to convert the (rare earths) material all the way from the mine through to the magnet," Dr. Allan Walton, a metallurgy professor at the University of Birmingham explained for Reuters.
伯明翰大学冶金学教授艾伦·沃尔顿博士向路透社解释说：“中国多年来发生的事情是，他们在加工能力上进行了大量而巧妙的投资，以将（稀土）材料从矿山一直转化为磁铁。”
While a potential merger between Lynas and MP Materials could challenge this dominance and help the West strengthen supply chains, some experts wondered whether the merger was worth it.
尽管Lynas和MP Materials之间的潜在合并可能会挑战这种主导地位，并帮助西方加强供应链，但一些专家想知道合并是否值得。
"I wouldn't think there is a whole lot of synergies out of that, just consolidating supply," Argo Investments portfolio manager Andy Foster said.
Argo Investments投资组合经理安迪·福斯特说：“我认为这不会带来太大的协同效应，光是巩固供应。”
"As a shareholder, what's the real benefit? Lynas has one of the best rare earths deposits in the world. I get the consolidation argument, but I'm not sure about any strategic value transfer," he added.
“作为股东，真正的好处是什么？Lynas拥有世界上最好的稀土矿床之一。我明白整合的论点，但我不确定是否有任何战略价值转移，” 他补充说。
Lynas operates the Mount Weld mine in Western Australia, considered one of the world's premier rare earths deposits, and the world's largest single rare earths processing plant in Malaysia. It also secured a 149-acre greenfield site in Texas for a planned heavy rare earths facility.
Lynas经营西澳大利亚州的Mount Weld矿，该矿被认为是世界上首屈一指的稀土矿床之一，也是马来西亚世界上最大的单一稀土加工厂。它还在德克萨斯州获得了一块占地149英亩的绿地，用于计划中的重稀土设施。
Reuters reported a source that suggested a deal would have involved Lynas delisting in Australia, with MP Materials maintaining its New York Stock Exchange listing, aiming for completion in the first quarter. However, anti-trust regulations and the complexities of aligning interests posed substantial hurdles.
路透社报道说，有消息人士称，一项交易将涉及Lynas在澳大利亚的退市，MP Materials维持其在纽约证券交易所的上市，目标是在第一季度完成。但是，反垄断监管和利益协调的复杂性构成了重大障碍。
译文内容由第三方软件翻译。