Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP) is in talks to buy $1 billion worth of Australian timber assets from Hancock Timber Resource Group.
More details from the Australian:
CANADA’S Public Sector Pension Investment Board could be about to swoop on one of Australia’s most valuable timber plantations, with sources saying about $1 billion worth of forests owned by Hancock Timber Resource Group are on its radar.
PSP executives have been in Sydney this week sounding out counterparties ahead of what some say is shaping up to be an aggressive acquisition spree by the Canadians focusing on Australian property, agriculture and billions of dollars’ worth of upcoming infrastructure assets for sale by federal and state governments.
It is understood a major Australian acquisition is on the cards by PSP and the seller it is engaged with is Hancocks.
Recent forestry portfolios placed up for sale have struggled to secure strong prices, but the industry is now shaking off pain from weaker industry demand and collapsed managed investment schemes, which could see some plantations sell for some more bullish prices, with an increasing appetite for timber from woodchip markets.
[…]
Across the Tasman, PSP is finalising the purchase of forest plantations from Harvard Management in conjunction with New Zealand Superannuation and local Iwi tribes worth $NZ2.35bn ($2.15bn), and recently outlaid more than $NZ1bn for the acquisition of AMP’s office portfolio.
PSP manages $97 billion in assets.
Photo by Rick Payette via Flickr CC License