The Rio de Janeiro-based company will separate its base metals assets from its iron ore operations and announce a strategic partner in the first half of next year, Chief Executive Eduardo Bartolomeo and Finance Director Gustavo Pimenta said in an interview. An initial public offering will remain off the table for now.
The copper and nickel mines will be placed in a new legal structure called Vale Base Metals, with a board that includes independent management, deep underground mining and electric vehicle experts.
According to a presentation announced on Wednesday, the unit will hold all of Brazil's Onca Puma nickel mine and Salobo copper projects, as well as Canadian nickel assets, Indonesian joint ventures.
Vale is breaking out its nickel and copper business at a time when demand for metals used in wiring and electric vehicle batteries is accelerating, along with a shift away from fossil fuels.
Bartolomeo, from New York, said separating the two sides of the business was key to accessing the "competitive" capital needed for the estimated $20 billion base metals investment. This, combined with the sale of up to 10% of the new asset to a partner, would allow value to be extracted from a business that Vale sees as worth $40 billion.
"Let's be clear: The most important thing is to ring-fence," Bartolomeo said in an interview from New York. “Why do we want a partner? Because the partner makes ring-fence real. It becomes a source of trust. It allows us to bring first-class people to the table.”
Vale is trading on 6.5 times forecast earnings, about half the average of its major base metal peers. The valuation difference is partly explained by the fact that the company earns most of its money from iron ore mines in Brazil, which have been affected by two tailings dam disasters in recent years.
Bartolomeo said a potential IPO is something that needs to be weighed down the road, depending on market conditions and how well Vale implements current plans.
For years Vale has considered separating its Brazilian iron ore business from the nickel and copper assets, many of which were acquired via the $17 billion purchase of Canada’s Inco Ltd. announced in 2006.
"There is no business of this scale combining copper and nickel in the world today," said Pimenta, Vale's chief financial officer.
Nickel and copper assets in Canada, Brazil and Indonesia accounted for about 15% of Vale's revenue last year. After enduring a series of operational setbacks in recent years that led to guidance cuts, Vale has been working to stabilize base metals production.
V
ale expects nickel production to reach 230,000-245,000 mt per year in the medium term and exceed 300,000 tons from 2030. Copper production is set to triple from current levels to about 900,000 tonnes by 2030.
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