Sibanye-Stillwater ditches $1B Brazil copper and nickel deal

Sibanye-Stillwater (NYSE: SBSW; JSE: SSW) has walked away from a US$1 billion deal to acquire the Santa Rita nickel and Serrote copper mines in Brazil, which would have boosted its growing battery metals portfolio.

The South African miner said the decision followed a “geotechnical event” at Santa Rita, which the company thought to be “material and adverse to the business.” Santa Rita is one of the world’s largest nickel-cobalt sulphide open-pit mines.

The deal with Appian Capital would have seen Sibanye-Stillwater buying operating companies Atlantic Nickel, which owns the Santa Rita mine, and Mineracao Vale Verder (MVV), which is developing the Serrote mine. It would have also given it a 5% net smelter royalty over potential future underground production at Santa Rita.

The acquisition would have been Sibanye-Stillwater’s fourth battery metal investment in less than a year. In September 2021, the company grabbed a 50% stake in ioneer Ltd’s (ASX: INR) lithium-boron project in Nevada.  

The company, however, will continue to grow its battery metals portfolio, it said in the statement.

The use of nickel in lithium-ion batteries has grown over the past two years.  The accelerated roll-out of electric vehicles (EVs) is making certain types of the metal popular among investors, as it can be processed into battery precursor materials.  

The more traditional use of nickel is in the processing of stainless steel for appliances and utensils.   

Analysts expect shortages of copper, cobalt, nickel and other industrial materials needed for the shift to a low carbon world, partly due to underinvestment in the mining sector and accelerating demand.