First Quantum draws takeover interest
NEW YORK – First Quantum Minerals, the owner of Africa’s biggest copper mine, is drawing preliminary takeover interest from global miners after losing half its value over the past five years, people with knowledge of the matter said.
Vancouver-based First Quantum, which has a market capitalisation of C$7.7-billion, is working with defense advisers to examine its options, according to the people. It hasn’t yet received any formal takeover offers, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.
Shares rose 15% in trading Thursday before closing in Toronto at C$11.16 a piece, up about 10% on the day.
First Quantum controls the open-pit Kansanshi mine in Zambia, which has 340 000 metric tons of yearly copper production capacity. The company has been at loggerheads with the government of the southern African country over issues from royalty increases to the planned introduction of a sales tax.
It also owns other assets around the world including the Sentinel copper operation in Zambia, Las Cruces in Spain and the Ravensthorpe nickel mine in Western Australia. First Quantum also started ramping up production at the giant Cobre Panama copper development project in the central American country earlier this year.
No final decisions have been made, and there’s no certainty the deliberations will lead to any transaction, the people said. Representatives for First Quantum didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Copper, used in everything from automobiles to plumbing pipes, has dropped in five of the past six months as trade-war fears heat up and demand appears to be slowing in top-user China. Still, the metal’s long-term prospects are seen as strong amid under-investment in new mine supply and surging usage in electric vehicles.
Comments
Research Reports
Projects
Latest News
Showroom
From batteries for boats and jet skis, to batteries for cars and quad bikes, SABAT Batteries has positioned itself as the lifestyle battery of...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Rooted in the hearts of South Africans, combining technology and a quest for perfection to bring you a battery of peerless standing. Willard...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
