Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) shares are on the slide on Monday morning.
At the time of writing, the mining giant's shares are down 2% to $148.71.
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Why are Rio Tinto shares falling?
Today's move appears to have been driven by broad market weakness which has overshadowed news that the miner is increasing its aluminium exposure with an acquisition.
According to the release, Rio Tinto and Aluminum Corporation of China (Chalco) have entered into a definitive agreement with Votorantim.
This will see the two parties acquire, through a joint venture to be owned 33% by Rio Tinto and 67% by Chalco, Votorantim's 68.596% controlling shareholding in Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio.
It notes that the transaction, at an all-cash consideration of R$10.50 per share, represents a premium of approximately 21.2% over the weighted average trading price of its stock for the 20 trading days prior to the signing of the transaction agreement.
It values Votorantim's shareholding at approximately US$902.6 million (Rio Tinto's pro-rata share is US$297.8 million), subject to closing adjustments and the other terms of the transaction agreement, including satisfaction of regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
But it won't stop there. Following closing, the joint venture will launch a mandatory tender offer for the remaining shares in Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio not held by Votorantim, as required by Brazilian law.
Management notes that the transaction will leverage Rio Tinto and Chalco's deep and complementary expertise across the aluminium value chain to unlock the next phase of growth at Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio.
What is Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio?
The release highlights that Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio is a vertically integrated low-carbon aluminium business in Brazil. It is supported by a 1.6 GW portfolio of renewable power generation assets, including 21 hydropower plants and wind power complexes.
The operation serves primarily the growing domestic market, with competitive low-carbon products and operations. It has three bauxite mines in production with current production of approximately 2 million tonnes of bauxite per annum, and an aluminium complex in Sao Paulo. The latter encompasses a 0.8 million tonnes capacity alumina refinery, an approximately 0.4 million tonnes capacity aluminium smelter, secondary recycling capacity of 0.3 million tonnes, and downstream processing facilities.
Rio Tinto's Aluminium & Lithium chief executive, Jerome Pecresse, said:
This acquisition, jointly with Chalco, of Votorantim's controlling position in CBA's [Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio's] fully integrated aluminium supply chain in Brazil is aligned with our strategy to deliver value for shareholders by extending our low-carbon, renewable-powered aluminium footprint in rapidly growing markets. It also provides the opportunity to grow our bauxite and alumina supply chain in the Atlantic region.
Our partnership with Chalco brings together our combined operational excellence, innovation and unique project execution capabilities, unlocking the potential to create value for the benefit of our shareholders, as well as CBA's employees, customers and local communities.
