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| Statement |
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| The significant cash proceeds from this transaction will strengthen our balance sheet and ensure we are well capitalized to unlock the full potential of our base metals business, while balancing significant returns to our shareholders |
| We advanced the ramp-up of our QB operation, resulting in Teck's highest ever quarterly copper production |
| We will also retain additional cash on the balance sheet to fund our near-term copper growth opportunities and generate strong returns |
| We're proud that all Teck-operated base metals operations have been awarded to Copper Mark or to Zinc Mark, and we've been named to the S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the 14th consecutive year |
| Over the course of the year, strong profitability allowed us to return a total of $765 million to shareholders by paying $550 million in dividends and completing $250 million in share buybacks and while continuing to strengthen our balance sheet through the repayment of $294 million of the QB2 project finance facility |
| This extends our track record of strong cash returns to shareholders with nearly $4 billion returned through the last five years |
| As I mentioned earlier, we are also driving safe operational performance across our portfolio, and we have embedded known risks into our guidance to ensure we build confidence in our ability to deliver on our market commitments |
| In addition to the strong EBITDA we delivered, we reported higher copper production and sales than the previous year, driven by the addition of QB operations |
| We also produced 23.7 million tonnes of steelmaking coal, above guidance and higher than the previous year |
| Our sustainability leadership position is a competitive advantage |
| Overall, the significant cash proceeds from this transaction will strengthen our balance sheet and ensure we are well capitalized to unlock the full potential of our base metals business while delivering significant returns to shareholders |
| So, the consistency that we have seen over the last month or so has helped us improve our recoveries, and we continue to work through that to get to our design rates |
| We are proud to have received Copper Mark and Zinc Mark all Teck-operated base metal operations, an industry-leading achievement, highlighting our commitment to sustainability and transparency at our operations, verified through third-party insurers |
| We had a strong fourth quarter performance across our business |
| Adjusted EBITDA of $1.7 billion in Q4 and $6.4 million for the year reflects robust prices for steelmaking coal and copper as well as high-end steelmaking coal sale volumes |
| Overall, plant reliability and performance were strong in the quarter, supported by improved plant availability at all sites and leading to production of 6.4 million tonnes in the quarter |
| As we talked about we're very excited about the prospects here for 2024 and beyond |
| So, even as we move through this year, we would expect costs in the second half of the year to be better than in the first half of the year |
| We have a major near-term copper growth through the ramp-up of our flagship operation, QB in Chile; at the same time, we seek to unlock the significant value upside potential from our industry-leading copper growth portfolio |
| We were pleased to announce that Red Dog was awarded to Zinc Mark in recognition of its strong environmental and social performance, continuing to demonstrate our sustainability leadership |
| We continue to progress our sustainability strategy and are proving we can make a positive impact, demonstrated by a number of achievements this past year |
| We also saw improved results from our Trail operations as it returned to full production rates and benefited from higher contracted zinc premiums |
| We achieved record copper production in the fourth quarter, which was 58% higher than last year |
| As an industry-leading base metals producer with a strategy centered on copper growth, we are in a unique position to deliver significant value |
| At Red Dog, zinc production increased by almost 30% and lead production increased by 41% from a year ago, both of which were driven by increased mill throughput and improved grades |
| It will take some time to land, but we're confident in the guidance that we put forward and expect the delivery of copper to improve through the course of the year to deliver against that guidance |
| Importantly, we have maintained a strong financial position with $7.9 billion of liquidity, including $2.5 billion in cash as of February 21st |
| We're making progress across all our near-term copper growth options and setting Teck up to progress these projects at the right time to generate significant value |
| And I believe we can strike the right level of growth and returns to shareholders by consistently following this framework |
| At the same time, we are advancing the development projects in our industry-leading pipeline, which are foundational to our future growth |
| Statement |
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| However, production was lower than planned in the fourth quarter |
| Over the next three years, production is expected to decrease due to declining grades at Red Dog |
| As a result, gross profit before depreciation and amortization decreased compared to the prior year |
| Our reported high potential incident frequency for the full year 2023 remained low at a rate of 0.14 |
| We also faced ongoing inflationary impacts on the cost of certain key supplies, including mining equipment, tires, labor and contractors |
| Nothing that gives us cause for concern, Dalton, that we're seeing |
| These increases were largely offset by the 18% decrease in realized zinc prices and higher operating costs at our Red Dog operations, primarily due to higher energy costs |
| And Russian coals, even though they've come in to fill the gap have been lower quality and not as good |
| QB unit costs are expected to remain elevated this year, particularly in the first half, and this is driven by the cost of alternative logistics, no molybdenum production in the first quarter as the plant is being commissioned, continued ramp-up and inflationary pressures, including increased Chilean energy costs |
| There are, of course, some factors that are less within our control |
| I mean we do see a tightening supply environment |
| We continue to experience inflationary pressures in the cost of key supplies, including mining equipment and tires and labor and contractors as well as higher energy costs in Chile and changing diesel prices |
| And you anticipate a plateau in 2025 and the decline after that mostly really driven by Highland Valley |
| It rapidly dropped |
| Liam, I mean, given what we have in the portfolio already, we're not sure of the things to do |
| Various risks and uncertainties may cause actual results to vary |
| On the recovery side, again, in January and February so far, we are close to design rates, so we are a little bit below |
| So, what we've seen in terms of Australian supply is key miners, including some of our peers there have adjusted their production guidance down in 2024 |
| Global steel production was flat at about 1.85 billion tonnes, really representing above where it was last year and really saw that taper off at the end of the year as a result of Chinese production |
| And I guess on that coal, I guess, obviously, maybe only relevant for a few more quarters |
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