Appian Capital Advisory LLP announces the sale of its Brazilian battery metals-focused portfolio companies Atlantic Nickel and Mineração Vale Verde (MVV) to ACG Acquisition Company Limited (ACG) for a cash consideration of $1.0 billion, along with the sale of its gold royalty on MVV to ACG for $65 million.
Article continues below
The Appian funds acquired Atlantic Nickel (previously Mirabela Nickel), owner of Santa Rita, one of the largest open pit nickel sulphide mines in the world, located in Bahia, Brazil (Santa Rita) out of bankruptcy in 2018.
The same year they also purchased MVV, owner of the Serrote greenfield open-pit copper-gold asset located in Alagoas, Brazil (Serrote).
Subsequently Appian successfully restarted Atlantic Nickel and commissioned MVV.
Both mines are long-life, low-cost and ranked within the first decile for carbon emissions amongst all nickel and copper producers worldwide.
The Transaction will provide a compelling value proposition for ACG, Appian, and their respective investors.
Upon closing, ACG will be renamed ACG Electric Metals, creating the only London-listed nickel sulphide producer with pure play electric metals exposure, as a natural platform for further growth and consolidation of critical metals assets focused on deliveries to leading western OEMs.
Under the terms of the Transaction, ACG has agreed to acquire the entirety of Atlantic Nickel and MVV for a cash consideration of US$1.0 billion, while ACG will also pay US$65 million in cash to extinguish the gold stream on MVV.
The Transaction is supported by financing commitments from financial and strategic parties, including notable partnerships with leading commodity traders and automotive manufacturers to support the electric vehicle transition:
• Glencore will be an anchor investor, having committed US$100 million and becoming an off-taker of choice for ACG, allowing for supply of ACG's nickel sulphide concentrate to Glencore's western European and North American refineries.
• PowerCo, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen, has committed to make a binding US$100 million prepayment to ACG for equivalent nickel units to the tonnage contained in a portion of the concentrates produced by the Atlantic Nickel mine at Santa Rita.
• Stellantis, the automotive conglomerate formed in 2021 by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Group, has committed to a US$100 million anchor equity investment in ACG.
• Both PowerCo and Stellantis will become long-term partners via offtake contracts for nickel refined from concentrate produced by Santa Rita.
Leading mining investment fund, La Mancha Resource Capital Fund (La Mancha), has also made a commitment to make a US$100 million anchor equity investment in ACG.
The remainder of funding for the Transaction comes from binding commitments in the form of royalty financing from Royal Gold, senior bank debt underwritten by Citigroup, ING and Societe Generale, who have also agreed to provide a revolving credit facility, and a planned equity offering by ACG of US$300 million.
The Transaction is expected to close in July 2023 and is subject to the customary shareholder consents and conditions precedent. ■
Predominant upper-level ridging stretching from the Southwest to the southern High Plains will allow for another day of record-breaking heat across parts of Nevada and Arizona today.