Rio Circling Kidman, page-5

It is interesting that RIO will be very familiar to all the numbers, a tad ahead of BHP should they have an interest too, Here is an old article Nov 17
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The Australian BR.

Rio Tinto linked to contest over stake in lithium miner SQMMERGERS & ACQUISITIONS EDITOR 11:00PM NOVEMBER 8, 2017

Rio Tinto is reportedly running the ruler over a major share in SQM, the world’s largest lithium producer, as the Anglo-Australian miner ramps up its exposure to this sector.The news was reported yesterday by Chilean publication El Mostrador and would see Rio Tinto go up against some of its biggest global rivals.The 32 per cent stake being sold by Potash Corporation could be worth about $US4 billion ($5.2bn).Potash is selling the stake through Goldman Sachs and Bank of America Merrill Lynch as a requirement for its takeover of Agrium.Competition for the stake in the Chilean business is strong, with Sinochem believed to be a key player alongside Ningbo Shanshan and Tianqi Lithium.SQM increased its Australian operations in September whenit signed a deal for a $US110m joint venture with Kidman Resources to develop the Mount Holland operation in Western Australia.Under the deal, SQM will pay $US30m for a 50 per cent share of the tenements and finance future exploration.SQM is considered to be the world’s largest lithium producer but Australia has the second largest reserve of the mineral in the world.There was speculation yesterday that if Rio Tinto missed out on the SQM stake, it could turn its attention to Kidman Resources. The junior miner’s shares rose by 8 per cent on high turnover of nearly 4.1 million shares.Rio Tinto refused to comment yesterday on the speculation but a deal of this nature would make sense, given the company has identified lithium as a major component of its future portfolio.The demand for lithium globally has soared in line with battery production. Deutsche Bank recently estimated battery demand would grow at least 30 per cent a year between 2016 and 2020.Rio Tinto had pinned its lithium hopes on the Jadar deposit in Serbia but the SQM purchase would transform its business.Lithium carbonate, the type suitable for lithium-ion batteries, boric acid and sodium sulfate were successfully produced from the plant in March and April.Rio Tinto upgraded the status of Jadar to that of its most likely new growth project, revealing that if it gets approvals and the economics support it, construction would start in 2020 on a mine that could supply 10 per cent of global demand.First production will be targeted for 2023. The timeframe was released after Rio Tinto signed a memorandum of understanding with Serbia to push ahead with the project.
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Cheers
Phil.