Scrambling to extend the life of its mines, four of which are set to conclude by 2020, China's Minmetals Resources Ltd. is on the prowl to acquire Australia-based miners Mirabela Nickel Ltd. and Alumina Ltd., with a $7 billion to boot to capture the two companies' nickel, bauxite and alumina output.

Analysts interviewed by Bloomberg estimated Mirabela Nickel Ltd. could be worth as much as A$1.6 billion, while Alumina Ltd. may be at A$8.5 billion.

Aside from the lifespan of its mines, Minmetals, which has yet to make a successful overseas expansion and acquisition, needs to boost its current share valuation. On Monday, shares of Minmetals fell 1.3 per cent to HK$3.86 in Hong Kong.

"Consummating a few of these would go a long way to closing that valuation gap," analyst John Stephenson told Bloomberg News. "Minmetals' mines have relatively short mine lives. They definitely would be an acquirer and it would certainly help."

The company trades at 2.6 times profit, the lowest valuation among 282 raw-material producers in MSCI's indexes of developed and emerging markets, after shares declined 28 per cent this year, Bloomberg data said.

China Minmetals Corp., parent company of Minmetals, on one hand said the group is interested in acquisitions to meet the rising demand for commodities in emerging markets.

"Metal consumption will remain strong in next 10, even 20 years, although the pace may slow," he said in an interview yesterday at the China Mining Congress in Tianjin, China," Wang Jionghui, general manager of mining exploration at China Minmetals Corp. said.

"The focus for us has always been copper and zinc," David Lamont, chief financial officer for Minmetals Resources Ltd. said in an interview with Bloomberg News. "We would like to have a third wedge in that pie that is another upstream base metal, which leads you to either nickel, bauxite, or alumina."

Minmetals Resources's unsuccessful foreign expansions have kept some investors shying away from its stock, analyst Tsuyoshi Shiba told Bloomberg News.

In April, Minmetals Resources offered to buy Perth, Australia-based Equinox for $5.9 billion. It lost to Barrick Gold Corp. On September, Minmetals Resources Ltd. agreed to buy copper producer Anvil Mining Ltd. for $1.3 billion to gain three copper mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"Attempts in 2011 at buying out Equinox and Anvil show the company's continuous efforts to extend its total mining life," Owen Liang, a Hong Kong-based analyst said. "Future mergers and acquisitions will provide potential upside to the firm's valuation."

Mirabela Nickel Ltd. is a nickel producer, operating one of the world's largest open pit nickel sulphide mine, located in Brazil. Its Santa Rita nickel sulfide mine is seen to be productive for at least 30 years. The mine has a 23-year reserve life with expansion potential, producing nickel sulfide concentrate that will be in short supply after 2014.

Alumina Ltd. owns 40 per cent of the Alcoa World Alumina & Chemical. Its assets include two bauxite mines and three alumina refineries in Australia as well as mines in South America and Guinea.

Minmetals Resources produces zinc, copper, lead and gold from mines in Laos and Australia. The life of its Century mine in Northwest Queensland, the world's second-biggest zinc mine, is projected to end in 2015.