Hua Er Jie Jian Wen·2025-12-12 19:17Core Viewpoint - Jiangxi Copper has raised its acquisition offer for SolGold to 28 pence per share, valuing the deal at approximately £842 million ($1.13 billion), marking the third bid in three weeks for the Ecuadorian mining company [1][4] Group 1: Acquisition Details - The latest offer represents a 7.7% increase from the previous rejected bid of 26 pence per share [1] - SolGold's board has indicated a willingness to recommend the new offer if Jiangxi Copper submits a formal bid [4] - Jiangxi Copper must announce a formal offer by December 27 or withdraw its bid [4] Group 2: Project Significance - The acquisition would grant Jiangxi Copper control over SolGold's flagship Cascabel project, which is one of South America's largest undeveloped copper-gold deposits [5] - The Alpala deposit within the Cascabel project contains proven, controlled, and inferred resources of 12.2 million tons of copper, 30.5 million ounces of gold, and 10,230 million ounces of silver [5] - The project is expected to begin early engineering in 2026 and achieve first production by 2028, with an operational life of 28 years and an average annual copper production of 123,000 tons [5] Group 3: Shareholder Support - Jiangxi Copper has secured support from other major shareholders of SolGold, including BHP, Newmont, and Maxit Capital, who collectively hold 40.7% of the shares [6] - Previous interest from BHP and Newmont waned due to funding disputes and changes in the Cascabel project's scope [6] Group 4: Industry Context - The acquisition efforts come amid a global competition for copper assets, driven by expectations that investments in artificial intelligence and electric vehicles will boost copper demand [3] - Jiangxi Copper's copper production could potentially double with the successful acquisition and development of the Cascabel project, addressing profitability issues in its cathode copper products [6]