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South32 CEO Kerr states open up to buying joint Anglo American manganese possessions

Australian varied miner South32 is open to purchasing Anglo American's's. share of two manganese operations the companies jointly own,. should they come for sale at the right price, CEO Graham Kerr. stated on Thursday.

Anglo is the subject of a takeover deal by the world's. greatest noted miner BHP Group, which had formerly. owned those assets but spun them out with its 2015 demerger of. South32.

Asked in an interview if South32 would be interested in. Anglo's share of its manganese company, Kerr informed : At. the best price, absolutely. We know them better than anybody. else. He decreased to elaborate on what that price may be.

South32 is the world's largest manufacturer of the steel. solidifying additive which it mines at its GEMCO operations in. Australia's Northern Territory and in South Africa's Kalahari. Basin.

Kerr, who had just returned from a trip to the United. States, where South32 is developing its Taylor zinc-lead-silver. task, has around $5 billion to spend as it seeks to bulk up. its portfolio with two more properties.

In an ideal world, we want to have another. operation in copper and zinc, and another shovel ready project,. he told in an interview, including the miner was open to. increasing its direct exposure in Southern Africa.

Financiers are occurring to the truth that miners need to. purchase over develop to grow and the bump in base metals prices over. the past few months is assisting to reframe their view, stated Kerr.

Miners need to become more aggressive to secure new projects or. risk losing out, provided the growing cravings for energy. transition metals including copper, financiers and mining CEOs. said on Wednesday.

When you see the short term bump in rates, it permits them. financiers) to imagine a long term bump, he said.

South32 has been one of the most active miners in buying and. offering assets, almost doubling its exposure to base metals over. bulks from less than half of its portfolio, over the past nine. years.

It in February agreed to sell its Illawarra metallurgical. coal company to a consortium led by an Indonesian-owned business. for $1.65 billion, leaving coal to concentrate on expanding in copper. and zinc.

That is on track to finalise in the very first half of next. fiscal year, Kerr said, as its exit from fossil fuels has. triggered interest from new shareholders.

We certainly have seen more interest from European funds. and even Australian super funds, Kerr added.

(source: Reuters)