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Rio Tinto in talks to purchase lithium miner Arcadium, sources state

Rio Tinto has been holding speak with buy lithium miner Arcadium, three sources with direct knowledge of the settlements said, an offer that would make Rio the thirdlargest manufacturer of the electric lorry battery metal.

Arcadium shares surged 36% in extended trading on Friday.

Talks have actually been continuous and continued in London today throughout the LME Week conference, among the sources stated. An deal is expected to come in the near future, according to the second source. Talks are continuous and may not necessarily result in an offer, the sources stated.

Philadelphia-based Arcadium might be valued between $4. billion to $6 billion or greater, the 3rd source said. None of. the sources were authorized to go over the settlements. publicly.

The deal would vault Rio into one of the world's biggest. suppliers of the ultralight metal, behind only Albemarle. and SQM, simply as demand is anticipated to rise later. this decade amid growing usage of lithium-ion batteries for EVs. and consumer electronics.

The current downturn in lithium rates, which is due in part to. Chinese oversupply, has actually pushed Arcadium's shares down more than. 50% because January, making it an attractive takeover target.

It was not instantly clear if a deal would. mostly consist of cash, stock or a mixture of both. Arcadium has. chosen two investment banks to manage its negotiations with. Rio, according to the 2nd source.

By buying Arcadium, Rio would access to lithium mines,. processing facilities and deposits throughout four continents to. fuel decades of development, in addition to a client base that includes. Tesla, BMW and General Motors.

Arcadium and Rio Tinto declined to comment.

The Anglo-Australian mining company is currently among the. world's biggest manufacturers of copper - utilized to make electrical wiring,. building and construction equipment, electronics and other devices - also. as iron ore and other metals.

Arcadium has around 2,400 workers throughout nine countries. Approximately 84% of its profits originates from Asia - the existing worldwide. center for lithium demand - giving it development capacity as EV. jobs increase throughout the Western Hemisphere, particularly those. supported by the U.S. Inflation Decrease Act.

Rio deals with strong opposition in Serbia to its proposed Jadar. mine, for which it just recently restored its license. Regional. neighborhood members have consistently pressured Belgrade to obstruct. the task, which has the potential to provide much of Europe's. requirements of the battery metal.

Arcadium thinks it is unlikely Rio will ever be able to. develop the Serbian project, the second source said.

Rio might also take advantage of Arcadium's proficiency in direct. lithium extraction, a growing sector of the lithium market. that aims to mechanically filter the metal from brines.

No business has actually commercially released a DLE procedure without. evaporation ponds, however Arcadium has effectively been using DLE. considering that the 1990s with ponds in Argentina and its engineers are. widely viewed as global professionals.

Rio paid $825 million in 2022 for a DLE project in Argentina. that has yet to produce the metal.

' THE COMPLETE PLAN'

Arcadium was formed just in January by the merger of. U.S.-based Livent and Australia-based Allkem, with each business. getting an equivalent number of slots on the business's 12-person. board of directors.

Speculation of a prospective tie-up between Arcadium and Rio. has actually drifted for weeks.

Arcadium provides Rio the complete plan, Scotiabank analysts. said on Sept. 10, including that the case (for a buyout) has. reinforced.

At a discussion to financiers on Sept. 19, Arcadium laid. out an aggressive growth strategy to almost triple its adjusted. revenues by 2028 by developing its lithium jobs across the. globe.

Rio's interest in Arcadium comes in the middle of a rising wave of offer. interest throughout the mining industry, particularly for critical. minerals needed to power the worldwide energy transition.

BHP - the world's largest miner - previously this year. made a not successful bid for smaller rival Anglo American . Glencore, BHP and others are seen as possible. bidders for other critical minerals tasks.

(source: Reuters)