Altius Minerals (TSX:ALS,OTCQX:ATUSF) is making a bet on a lithium market recovery, agreeing to acquire Lithium Royalty (TSX:LIRC) in a C$520 million deal that will expand its exposure to battery metals.

Under a definitive agreement announced by the two companies on Monday (December 22), Altius plans to purchase all of the issued common and convertible common shares of Lithium Royalty for C$9.50 each.

The amount will be paid as either C$9.50 in cash or 0.24 of a common Altius share, according to shareholders’ election.

For Altius, the acquisition will allow it to bring a portfolio of 37 lithium royalties into its fold. None of them involve streams, and they span projects from production through early exploration.

Four of the royalties are tied to producing assets, three of which were commissioned in 2025 and are currently ramping up or expanding. Another 12 projects are in advanced stages with completed economic studies, while three to five additional assets are targeting startup between 2026 and 2030.

The company said the portfolio is geographically concentrated in lower-risk jurisdictions, with most assets located in Canada, Australia and South America, and diversified across both brine-based and hard-rock lithium production.

At the current spot price, Altius expects the acquired royalties to contribute between US$29 million and US$43.7 million in annual revenue by the end of the decade. Lithium carbonate equivalent prices fell to multi-year lows in 2025, holding below US$9,000 per metric ton for most of the year, even as demand continues to expand beyond electric vehicles.

Altius said global lithium demand is expected to exceed 1.5 million metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent in 2025, with supply deficits potentially re-emerging as early as 2026 after years of oversupply.

Altius Chief Executive Brian Dalton said lithium has “emerged as a mainstream scale mined commodity,” and described the acquired portfolio as featuring “very long resource lives,” strong cost positioning and low jurisdictional risk.

A special shareholders’ meeting is scheduled to happen no later than March 10, 2026.

If approved, the deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, after which Lithium Royalty shares will be delisted and the company will cease to be a reporting issuer in Canada.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.