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News -
Mining
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Friday, 25 September 2009 20:28 |
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Ivanhoe Mines Ltd., seeking to build the Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold project in Mongolia with Rio Tinto Group, may consider selling up to a 9.9 percent stake in the company after being approached by sovereign wealth funds. Ivanhoe and Rio agreed to change provisions of Rio’s agreement to invest USD2.4 billion in Ivanhoe to allow a sale, the Toronto-based company said on Wednesday in a statement. Any sale will not affect Rio’s accord to buy a 43.1 percent stake in Ivanhoe, the statement said. “Several sovereign-wealth funds are among potential investors who have expressed unsolicited interest in participating in Ivanhoe’s growth opportunities,” Ivanhoe President John Macken said in the statement without specifying them. “Ivanhoe Mines and Rio Tinto also have agreed to cooperate in considering potential investments in Ivanhoe by one or more strategic shareholders,” the statement said. Rio, based in London, has also agreed with Ivanhoe to change their accord to allow it to delay the October 27 deadline for the second stage of its planned investment in Ivanhoe. The deadline will be delayed in 30-day increments until “either until the completion of an approved, unconditional investment agreement for Oyu Tolgoi, or until April 27, 2010,” the statement said. “Rio Tinto is committed to its partnership with Ivanhoe in developing Oyu Tolgoi,” Mr. Bret Clayton, Rio’s chief executive of copper and diamonds, said in the statement. “We have made good progress with the Government of Mongolia and expect to sign the investment agreement shortly.”
Source: Bloomberg.com An Ivanhoe Mines news release dated September 22, reaffirming its long-term commitment to the three-year-old strategic partnership with Rio Tinto and detailing their present agreement to fine-tune two provisions in the 2006 private-placement agreement, can be seen at BCM Website, Articles/Reports on Mongolia
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Last Updated on Friday, 25 September 2009 20:39 |