Re: Valuation of mannono using Rio Tito's recent investment in Salar de Maricunga
On 20th of May 2025 Rio Tinto announced it was in partnership with Chile’s state-owned copper producer Codelco to develop the Salar de Maricunga lithium project. Investing $900M to aquire a 49.99% stake in the project.
Salar de Maricunga: Approx. 1.9Mt LCE
Amount Rio Owns:
1,900,000t x 49.99% = 949,810t
Price/tonne LCE
900 milion÷ 949,810t = $947/tonne
Roche Dure: 12.9Mt LCE
Full price for Roche Dure:
$947 x 12,900,000t = $12,216,300,000
AVZ 75% intrest:
$12,216,300,000 x 75% = $9,162,225,000
= $9.1B USD or $4.02AUD/share
Please note:
• All numbers in USD unless stated otherwise
• Salar de Maricunga uses brine method of extraction ( Hard Rock > Brine)
• Roche Dure was measured at approx. 317Mt tonnes of spodumene ore at 1.63% converting to about 12.9Mt LCE
• RIO expects first lithium production by the end of 2030
• VALUE OF TIN NOT INCLUDED!!!!!
Personal coments:
Just comparing the numbers. I don't want to get anyones hopes up and I could be completely wrong so take these numbers with a teaspoon of salt. All my own opinion.
Sources:
https://www.australianresourcesandi...ming-the-worlds-second-largest-lithium-miner/