Rio Tinto and Arcadium Lithium plc (“Arcadium Lithium” or “Arcadium”) (NYSE: ALTM) (ASX: LTM) announced a definitive agreement (the “Transaction Agreement”) under which Rio Tinto will acquire Arcadium in an all-cash transaction for US$5.85 per share (the “Transaction”). The Transaction represents a premium of 90% to Arcadium’s closing price of $3.08 per share on 4 October 2024, a premium of 39% to Arcadium’s volume-weighted average price (VWAP) since Arcadium was created on 4 January 2024, and values Arcadium’s diluted share capital at approximately $6.7 billion.

The Transaction will bring Arcadium’s world-class, complementary lithium business into Rio Tinto’s portfolio, establishing a global leader in energy transition commodities – from aluminium and copper to high-grade iron ore and lithium.

Arcadium is a global, fast-growing, vertically integrated lithium chemicals producer with an asset base of long-life, low-cost operations and growth projects. It has leading capabilities in lithium chemicals manufacturing and extraction processes, including hard-rock mining, conventional brine extraction and direct lithium extraction. Arcadium’s current annual lithium production capacity across a range of products including lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate is 75,000 tonnes lithium carbonate equivalent, with expansion plans in place to more than double capacity by the end of 2028. Arcadium’s global operations, comprising approximately 2,400 employees, include facilities and projects in Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Rio Tinto chief executive officer Jakob Stausholm said: “Acquiring Arcadium Lithium is a significant step forward in Rio Tinto’s long-term strategy, creating a world-class lithium business alongside our leading aluminium and copper operations to supply materials needed for the energy transition. Arcadium Lithium is an outstanding business today and we will bring our scale, development capabilities and financial strength to realise the full potential of its Tier 1 portfolio. This is a counter-cyclical expansion aligned with our disciplined capital allocation framework, increasing our exposure to a high-growth, attractive market at the right point in the cycle.

“We look forward to building on Arcadium Lithium’s contributions to the countries and communities where it operates, drawing on the strong presence we already have in these regions. Our team has deep conviction in the long-term value that combining our offerings will deliver to all stakeholders.”

Arcadium Lithium CEO Paul Graves said: “We are confident that this is a compelling cash offer that reflects a full and fair long-term value for our business and de-risks our shareholders’ exposure to the execution of our development portfolio and market volatility. Arcadium Lithium is a leading global lithium producer with the widest offering of lithium chemical products and a world-class manufacturing network, backed by a broad technology portfolio and expertise in all aspects of the lithium value chain. This agreement with Rio Tinto demonstrates the value in what we have built over many years at Arcadium Lithium and its predecessor companies, and we are excited that this transaction will give us the opportunity to accelerate and expand our strategy, for the benefit of our customers, our employees, and the communities in which we operate.”

Compelling Strategic and Financial Rationale

The transaction will bring Rio Tinto’s scale, development capabilities and financial strength to realise the full potential of the Arcadium portfolio.

Tier 1 assets. Arcadium is one of the world’s leading global lithium platforms, with diversified production and processing capabilities, a broad range of high-performance lithium products, a highly attractive suite of growth projects, and long-term blue-chip customer relationships. Its Tier 1 assets have maintained high margins through-the-cycle, and its resource base is expected to support ~130% capacity growth by 2028 within Rio Tinto’s existing geographies. Rio Tinto’s and Arcadium’s combined assets will represent the world’s largest lithium resource base and make Rio Tinto one of the leading lithium producers globally on a pro-forma basis.

Complementary capabilities. Rio Tinto has the balance sheet strength and proven project delivery capability to execute and, over time, accelerate the full potential from Arcadium’s Tier 1 resource base. Rio Tinto and Arcadium have complementary footprints and deep experience in Argentina and Quebec, where Rio Tinto expects to establish world-class lithium hubs with clear opportunities for sharing skillsets and reducing costs. Combining Rio Tinto and Arcadium’s technological leadership in lithium extraction, the transaction will position Rio Tinto to become a market leader in lithium processing. Rio Tinto looks forward to building on Arcadium’s history of commercial excellence that includes multi-year relationships with leading OEMs and battery companies, by ensuring reliable, low-cost and sustainable supply.

Compelling economics. The transaction offers compelling value driven by accelerating volume growth in a rising market contributing to significantly higher EBITDA and free cash flow in the outer years, before anticipated synergies. Acquiring Arcadium is consistent with Rio Tinto’s disciplined approach to capital allocation and will unlock significant value for shareholders, underpinned by the financial strength that we will bring. Rio Tinto will maintain its strong balance sheet following the close of this transaction, in line with its Single A credit rating, as well as its long track record of shareholder returns. Rio Tinto expects Arcadium’s projected growth capital expenditure to represent approximately 5% of Rio Tinto’s group capital expenditure of up to $10 billion across 2025 and 2026.

Right timing. Rio Tinto is confident in the long-term outlook for lithium, with more than 10% compound annual growth rate in lithium demand expected through to 2040 leading to a supply deficit. With spot lithium prices down more than 80% versus peak prices, this counter-cyclical acquisition comes at a time with substantial long-term market and portfolio upside, underpinned by an appealing market structure and established jurisdictions.

Transaction Details

The Transaction has been unanimously approved by both the Rio Tinto and Arcadium Lithium Boards of Directors. The Transaction, which will be implemented by way of a Jersey scheme of arrangement, is expected to close in mid-2025. Key conditions to closing of the Transaction include approval of Arcadium Lithium shareholders and the Royal Court of Jersey. In addition, the Transaction is subject to receipt of customary regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.

Rio Tinto BM Subsidiary Limited, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto plc, will acquire the Arcadium Lithium shares pursuant to the Transaction Agreement.

Arcadium Lithium shareholders do not need to take any action at the present time. A notice of meeting and proxy statement for the required meeting of Arcadium Lithium shareholders, when available, will contain additional information regarding the Transaction. A majority in number of those Arcadium Lithium shareholders present and voting, and representing at least 75% of the voting rights of all shares voted, will be required to complete the Transaction.

Note: The content of this press release has not been edited by Fibre2Fashion staff.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)