Australian miner Lynas Corp Ltd. is weighing a bid for bankrupt rare-earths producer Molycorp Inc. as the company begins drawing interest from potential buyers in Asia and Europe, Bloomberg News reported yesterday. Lynas, one of only two major rare earths producers outside China, is “interested to understand" the cost savings that could be available from a combination with Molycorp, the company said. Others that have held discussions about buying the assets include German chemicals giant BASF SE. Molycorp, which filed for bankruptcy in June, announced on Oct. 21 it was looking to sell the entire company, including the idled Mountain Pass mine in California. It said it was in the process of signing confidentiality agreements giving 17 potential buyers access to detailed business information.
