Harmony Gold agrees to buy Australian Mac Copper for R18bn
Johannesburg-based Harmony said it is offering $12.25 (R219.18) per Mac Copper share in the cash deal, a 20.7% premium to the stock's closing price in New York on Friday. Mac Copper said its board unanimously backs the offer.
The Australian company's CSA Copper mine in New South Wales produced 41,000 tonnes of the metal last year and Harmony said buying a producing mine brings immediate cash returns.
The acquisition will be financed with internal cash reserves and a $1.25bn (R22.36bn) loan facility, Harmony said.
Harmony's shares fell 6.3% in early morning trade in Johannesburg.
It is Harmony's second acquisition of copper assets in Australia after it bought the Eva Copper project in Queensland, in 2022, a mine that could produce 55,000-60,000 tonnes of metal a year from 2029.
Harmony has also explored over the years options to develop Wafi-Golpu, a gold-copper project in Papua New Guinea it jointly owns with Newmont Corp.
South African mining companies including Gold Fields are increasingly looking elsewhere for assets as domestic operations become more costly due to the geological challenges presented by some of the world's deepest gold mines.
Harmony said it will build on its experience in underground mining in South Africa to boost Mac Copper's CSA mine.
The deal is a significant step towards Harmony growing into a global gold and copper producer, CEO Beyers Nel said.
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