This isn't a NOT story, but interesting that even one carmaker, let alone two, was involved in a secret bidding war for Atlantic Nickel and Mineracao Vale Verde from Appian Capital.

So when Coutts was looking for a buyer in the spring, did he knock on Tesla's, Ford's or GM's doors? Might have made for an interesting summer.

If you're listening Ford and GM, there's still time to steal all the nickel in Eagle's Nest from Elon/BHP.

https://www.mining.com/sibanye-stillwater-buys-nickel-copper-mines-in-brazil-for-1-billion/

Secret bidding war

Appian, which put the two assets up for sale earlier this year, said the process had been very competitive, triggering a bidding battle that included unnamed large miners  – as well as two carmakers.  

“They were actually bidding, which was fascinating. I think that is a story in itself,” Michael Scherb, founder and chief executive of Appian, told the Financial Times. “It shows upstream security of supply is a major concern for industrial players.” 

Hobbit