堪培拉——澳大利亚矿业公司莱纳斯（Lynas）于周四宣布计划收购在澳大利亚上市的巴西稀土矿床开发商Meteoric Resources，这是一项价值约6.72亿美元的全股票交易。
CANBERRA -- Australian miner Lynas on Thursday announced plans to acquire Meteoric Resources, an Australian-listed developer of a rare earth deposit in Brazil, in an all-share deal valued at around $672 million.
莱纳斯稀土公司是除中国以外全球最大的稀土开采和精炼商，随着其在马来西亚加工厂的扩建，该公司一直在寻找新的原料来源。其特别关注的重点是提高该工厂分离备受追捧的重稀土元素的能力。此类重稀土过去仅在中国生产，直到去年这家澳大利亚公司才开始进行此类生产。
Lynas Rare Earths, the largest miner and refiner of rare earths outside China, has been looking for new sources of material as it expands its processing facility in Malaysia. One particular focus is boosting the facility's capacity to separate sought-after heavy rare earth elements that were produced only in China until the Australian company began such production last year.
Meteoric位于巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州的卡尔代拉（Caldeira）项目拥有估计80.2万公吨的钕和镨（NdPr）。这是一种轻稀土元素，用于制造驱动电动汽车、风力涡轮机以及某些武器的磁体。
Meteoric's Caldeira project, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, contains an estimated 802,000 metric tons of neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr), light rare earth elements used in magnets that power electric vehicles, wind turbines and some weapons.
据估计，该项目拥有4.1万公吨的镝和铽（DyTb），这是一种重稀土，可确保磁体在更高温度下运行。莱纳斯表示，开采后，这将转化为每年额外生产3,862公吨的钕镨和127公吨的镝铽。
The project has an estimated 41,000 tons of dysprosium and terbium (DyTb), heavy rare earths that ensure that the magnets can operate at higher temperatures. When extracted, that would translate to an additional production of 3,862 tons of NdPr and 127 tons of DyTb per year, Lynas said.
董事会主席约翰·汉弗莱（John Humphrey）表示，将卡尔代拉项目（中国以外最大的已探明离子吸附型稀土矿床）纳入其中，将有助于莱纳斯“保持其在全球稀土供应链中的领先地位”。
The addition of the Caldeira project -- the largest measured ionic adsorption clay deposit outside China -- would help Lynas "maintain its leading position in the global rare earths supply chain," said John Humphrey, board chairman.
离子吸附型稀土矿床（IAC）与莱纳斯位于西澳大利亚州的韦尔特山（Mount Weld）矿床的矿化类型不同，后者是硬岩碳酸盐岩矿床。离子吸附型稀土矿开采通常需要用硫酸铵对原料进行浸出，以回收吸附在粘土中的稀土，而不是像硬岩矿那样对矿石进行破碎和选矿。
An ionic adsorption clay deposit (IAC) is a different type of mineralization from Lynas' Mount Weld in Western Australia, which is a hard-rock carbonatite deposit. IAC mining typically requires the material to be leached with ammonium sulfate to recover the rare earths adsorbed into the clay, rather than the crushing and concentration of ore done at hard-rock mines.
根据这项收购协议，Lynas将在Meteoric董事会及最大股东的支持下收购该公司100%的股份。Meteoric的股东每持有一股Meteoric股票，将获得0.0207股Lynas的新股票；此次收购的交易价值为9.68亿澳元（约合6.724亿美元）。
Under the bid, which is backed by Meteoric's board and largest shareholder, Lynas will acquire 100% of the company, with its shareholders to receive 0.0207 new Lynas shares for each Meteoric share held, an exchange that values the target at 968 million Australian dollars ($672.4 million).
Lynas宣布将发行63,344,637股新股作为收购的一部分，其股价在开盘后下跌了超过6%。该公司表示，使用自己的股票进行收购有助于保留现金，以用于资助其在巴西的项目及其他业务发展。
Lynas announced the issuance of 63,344,637 shares as part of the deal, with its share price falling more than 6% in early trading. The company said using its shares in the takeover allowed it to preserve cash to fund the Brazil project and other ventures.
在7月发布的最终可行性研究中，Meteoric估计Caldeira项目的建设周期为两年，总成本为4.98亿美元（含各种不可预见费用）。
In its Definitive Feasibility Study released in July, Meteoric estimated Caldeira's construction would take two years and cost $498 million, including contingencies.
随着中国逐渐利用其在稀土领域的优势在与美国的贸易争端中施加压力，Lynas积极寻求发挥自身作为关键替代供应商的作用，包括与马来西亚的磁体制造厂及越南的金属化加工厂等下游项目进行合作。
As China has increasingly wielded its dominance of rare earths as leverage in trade confrontations with the U.S., Lynas has moved to take advantage of its role as a key alternative supplier, including partnering in downstream projects including a Malaysian magnet plant and a metallization facility in Vietnam.
在宣布进军巴西的同时，Lynas还表示有意进一步投资于该国的稀土下游加工产业。该国的政府希望利用自身的稀土资源，成为重要的稀土供应来源。
Announcing its move into Brazil, the company also floated the prospect of investing further in downstream processing in the South American country, which is seeking to leverage its rare earths deposits to become an important alternative source.
这项收购提案尚需经过相关评估和批准程序，预计将于1月份由Meteoric的股东们进行投票表决。
The offer, which is subject to assessments and approvals, is set to be voted on by Meteoric's shareholders in January.