Seems all pretty hohum to me. The release was put out - we all saw it, and now its retracted - yawn. Both HAW and LCY put out the same releases about the same material on the same day. The retraction is ASX's way of saying we don't like what HAW and LCY are saying, but let's not forget that HAW and LCY are mere passengers in this deal. Gina is calling the shots and if it is going to cost $5bn then I'm sure she's good for her share, and LCY's Indian Government 90+% shareholder may be good for theirs. HAW is in a much different boat - it owns 20% of a valuable asset; it has a much more diverse register than LCY; and it has a market cap circa $20m. It's hardly going to put the cap round for its share ($1bn) but more likely will look for one of the other 2 (or a 3rd/4th party) to take them out. Or it could take the royalty stream which would have serious value in its own right. But ASX having concern about HAW's funding options is a bit premature - there is a lot yet to play through over an extended period of time - and I reckon a big part of that is how Gina convinces the relevant governments to provide some concessions to make it all worth her while - the project needs power, water, and rail infrastructure all to somehow be delivered within existing government policies including carbon reduction targets. Do we want green steel or not? Seems to me ASX has just dealt Gina a big favour by discrediting the PFS - well played, I say.
HAW Price at posting:
6.1¢ Sentiment: Hold Disclosure: Held
