The planet is secure in my palms — I’m a Swiss-based commodities dealer. This could look like the message of Glencore boss, Gary Nagle. His plan to develop the polluting coal division he has promised to divest merely provides to cognitive dissonance.

For months, Glencore has been making an attempt to nudge Teck Sources of Canada into agreeing to a takeover. On Monday, the Swiss mining and buying and selling big proposed an alternate: a money acquisition of Teck’s coking coal unit, Elk Valley. This could develop Glencore’s coal ebitda by about half. It could be the second buy of coal belongings by the group in two years.

This information can not sit effectively with all shareholders. Witness investor restlessness with Nagle over Glencore’s local weather change targets. This yr about 30 per cent of votes on the annual assembly had been in opposition to this, 6 proportion factors greater than in 2022. That could be a substantial damaging minority report.

That will clarify why Nagle is promising to spin off all Glencore’s coal belongings inside two years, a lot sooner than anticipated. Coal nonetheless generates about half of Glencore’s ebitda. Including Teck’s coal will increase that dominance. The group’s paraphrase of St Augustine is: “Make me good, Lord, however not till 2025.”

Buyers will benefit from the non permanent surge in money movement. However coal stays a drag on the valuation of diversified miners. Shareholders mentioned no to Teck’s impartial restructuring plan as a result of the black stuff would have funded copper and zinc divisions.

The demerger of Glencore Coal would go away the core metals enterprise with a valuation of about 6-7 occasions ebitda, thinks UBS. That’s effectively above the estimated 4 occasions for the entire group.

In February, Nippon Metal agreed to purchase one-tenth of Teck’s coal unit, valuing the enterprise at $8.2bn, Glencore had put the identical worth on it, whereas Teck’s personal equity opinion valued EVR at as much as $9bn, about thrice anticipated 2024 ebitda.

Teck’s hard-nosed chair emeritus, Norman Keevil, can little doubt patiently await suitors. Mining investor Pierre Lassonde is amongst potential rival bidders

Keevil gave Glencore the comb off when it tried to place public strain on him earlier this yr. The choice bid for Elk alone could founder in the identical manner. What it does point out is growing desperation inside Glencore to do a deal. Buyers and campaigners could now count on the corporate to ditch coal in two years, regardless of the consequence at Teck.