After AEMO took the political lead yesterday by tacitly telling everyone how coal is more reliable and cheaper than "renewables"... BHP has been given a "get out of jail free" card whereby they are allowed to keep Mount Arthur with its massive profits. They'll use the "S" in ESG as their excuse if asked..
Im sure there were several offers on the table. They just weren't able to beat the bell.
.
I see this situation as being similar to June 2016 when BHP & Anglo & Coronado walked away from the table when Anglo was being broken up because of the markets cost efficiency drive. This signalled the return of the resource boom and literally everything has been in a positive direction ever since. In the same way, we are now seeing the end of the "renwables" drive and a return to hydrocarbons as the main source of energy. It's going to be a good decade ahead.
(20min delay)