Vancouver, B.C. – Teck Resources Limited (TSX: TECK.A and TECK.B, NYSE: TECK) (“Teck”) reported adjusted profit attributable to shareholders of $700 million ($1.21 per share) in the fourth quarter compared with $930 million ($1.61 per share) a year ago. Annual adjusted profit attributable to shareholders for 2017 was $2.6 billion, or $4.45 per share, compared with $1.1 billion, or $1.91 per share in 2016. Annual profit attributable to shareholders was $2.5 billion, or $4.34 per share, compared with $1.0 billion in 2016, or $1.80 per share.

“We are very pleased with our results for the year, with adjusted earnings and EBITDA of $2.6 billion and $5.7 billion, respectively,” said Don Lindsay, President and CEO. “With our strong operating results, we achieved record revenues and cash flow from operations in 2017. Our financial position is very strong and with the startup of Fort Hills and favourable markets for our key products, we are well positioned for the coming year.”

Highlights and Significant Items 

• In 2017, we achieved record revenues of $12.0 billion and record cash flow from operations of $5.1 billion as a result of a favourable commodity price environment and our ongoing focus on cost control at all our key assets.
• Adjusted profit was $700 million ($1.21 per share) in the fourth quarter compared with $930 million ($1.61 per share) in the fourth quarter of last year. Profit attributable to shareholders was $760 million ($1.32 per share) in the fourth quarter compared with $697 million ($1.21 per share) a year ago. Annual adjusted profit attributable to shareholders was $2.6 billion, or $4.45 per share, compared with $1.1 billion in 2016, or $1.91 per share. Annual profit attributable to shareholders was $2.5 billion, or $4.34 per share, compared with $1.0 billion in 2016, or $1.80 per share.
• EBITDA was $1.6 billion in the fourth quarter, the same as a year ago. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter totaled $1.5 billion compared with $1.9 billion last year. Our annual EBITDA was $5.6 billion in 2017 compared to $3.4 billion in 2016 and adjusted EBITDA was $5.7 billion compared with $3.5 billion in 2016.
• Gross profit was $1.3 billion in the fourth quarter compared with $1.6 billion a year ago and before depreciation and amortization was $1.7 billion compared with $2.0 billion in the fourth quarter of 2016.
• Cash flow from operations of $1.5 billion in the fourth quarter was the same as a year ago. Cash flow from operations for the year was a record $5.1 billion compared with $3.1 billion in 2016.
• Our liquidity remains strong at approximately $4.8 billion, including US$3.0 billion of undrawn, committed credit facilities and $1.0 billion of cash at February 13, 2018. During the quarter, we extended the maturity date of our US$3.0 billion credit facility from July 2020 to October 2022. We expect to realize $1.2 billion in cash on closing of the sale of our two-thirds interest in the Waneta Dam, which we do not expect to close before the third quarter of 2018.
• Fort Hills produced its first oil on January 27 and remains on track to reach 90% of capacity by the end of 2018. The first train is currently producing and ramping up to capacity. The two remaining secondary extraction trains are mechanically complete, are currently being insulated and expected to begin producing on schedule in the first half of 2018.
• During the fourth quarter, we acquired an additional working interest in Fort Hills, increasing our interest to 20.89% from 20.0% for a cost of $121 million. Our interest has continued to increase and depending on the final project cost and funding elections we make, we expect our final ownership interest to be approximately 21.3%.
• In December, we paid a dividend of $0.45 per share consisting of a supplemental dividend of $0.40 per share and our regular base quarterly dividend of $0.05 per share, which totaled approximately $260 million. In addition, taking into account our strong cash position, we also announced our intention to apply an additional $230 million to the repurchase of shares through March 31, 2018, of which 5.9 million Class B subordinate voting shares were repurchased for $175 million in the fourth quarter.
• In November, for the first time, we were named as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers by Mediacorp.

Download/view Q4 2017 Report for the full text of this release.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements as defined in applicable securities laws (collectively referred to in this news release as “forward-looking statements”). All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Teck to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, including under the headings “Outlook,” that appear in various places in this release, include estimates, forecasts, and statements as to management’s expectations with respect to, among other things, the market outlook for our commodities, production and sales forecasts for our products and individual operations, mine lives and duration of operations at our various mines and operations, the expected timing to reach 90% of production at Fort Hills, expected cost for the repair of the Elkview dryer and time for repair, expectation that we will be able to increase coal production to compensate for the closure of Coal Mountain, coal sales volume guidance, coal cost guidance, coal capital spending guidance, expectation that port upgrades at Neptune will improve the global competitiveness and responsiveness of our steelmaking coal portfolio long-term, timing and cost of Line Creek AWTF modifications, Elk Valley Water Quality Plan spending guidance, including projected 2018 capital spending and other capital spending guidance, expected operating costs associate with the Plan, timing of AWTF construction and projected number of AWTFs required, expectations regarding the additional treatment steps associated with the water quality plan and related benefits, operating cost increase guidance associated with the Plan, expectation that grades at Highland Valle will increase, expected costs and benefits of the additional ball mill project at Highland Valley, potential to extend cathode production at Carmen de Andacollo, Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 mine life and production capacity projections, expected spending and activities on our Project Satellite properties, expected costs and benefits of the Red Dog mill upgrade project, the expectation that there is potential to extend the Pend Oreille mine life, expected Teck share of Fort Hills capital costs, expected share of Fort Hills production volume, benefits of Fort Hills paraffinic froth treatment process, expected impact of U.S. tax reform, projections and sensitivities under the heading “Commodity Prices and 2018 Production”, all guidance appearing in this presentation including but not limited to the production, sales, unit cost and capital expenditure guidance under the heading “Guidance”, all of the information provided in this release, the impact of currency exchange rates, and demand and market outlook for commodities and our products. These forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties and actual results may vary materially.

These statements are based on a number of assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, the supply and demand for, deliveries of, and the level and volatility of prices of, zinc, copper and steelmaking coal and other primary metals and minerals as well as oil, and related products, the timing of the receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals for our development projects and other operations, our costs of production and production and productivity levels, as well as those of our competitors, power prices, continuing availability of water and power resources for our operations, market competition, the accuracy of our reserve estimates (including with respect to size, grade and recoverability) and the geological, operational and price assumptions on which these are based, conditions in financial markets, the future financial performance of the company, our ability to attract and retain skilled staff, our ability to procure equipment and operating supplies, positive results from the studies on our expansion projects, our steelmaking coal and other product inventories, our ability to secure adequate transportation, including rail and port service, for our products, our ability to obtain permits for our operations and expansions, and our ongoing relations with our employees and business partners and joint venturers. Assumptions regarding the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan include assumption that additional treatment will be effective at scale, and that the technology and facilities operate as expected, as well as additional assumptions discussed under the heading “Steelmaking Coal — Elk Valley Water Management Update” and in the footnotes to our Guidance discussion. Assumptions regarding Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 are based on current project assumptions and the final feasibility study. Assumptions regarding Fort Hills are based on the approved project development plan and the assumption that the project will be developed and operated in accordance with that plan, assumptions regarding the performance of the plant and other facilities at Fort Hills and the operation of the project. Assumptions regarding the impact of U.S. tax reform include assumptions regarding profitability of our U.S. operations and there being no negative regulatory developments in the implementation of the U.S. tax reforms. Assumptions regarding the impact of foreign exchange are based on current commodity prices. Our Guidance tables include footnotes with further assumptions. The foregoing list of assumptions is not exhaustive. Events or circumstances could cause actual results to vary materially.

Factors that may cause actual results to vary materially include, but are not limited to, changes in commodity and power prices, changes in market demand for our products, changes in interest and currency exchange rates, acts of foreign governments and the outcome of legal proceedings, inaccurate geological and metallurgical assumptions (including with respect to the size, grade and recoverability of mineral reserves and resources), unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, adverse weather conditions and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters), union labour disputes, political risk, social unrest, failure of customers or counterparties (including logistics suppliers) to perform their contractual obligations, changes in our credit ratings, unanticipated increases in costs to construct our development projects, difficulty in obtaining permits, inability to address concerns regarding permits of environmental impact assessments, and changes or further deterioration in general economic conditions. Our Fort Hills project is not controlled by us and construction and production schedules and costs may be adjusted by our partners, and timing of spending and construction is not in our control. Additional factors relating to our Elk Valley Water Quality Plan are discussed under the heading “Steelmaking Coal — Elk Valley Water Management Update”.

Statements concerning future production costs or volumes are based on numerous assumptions of management regarding operating matters and on assumptions that demand for products develops as anticipated, that customers and other counterparties perform their contractual obligations, that operating and capital plans will not be disrupted by issues such as mechanical failure, unavailability of parts and supplies, labour disturbances, interruption in transportation or utilities, adverse weather conditions, and that there are no material unanticipated variations in the cost of energy or supplies. Statements regarding anticipated steelmaking coal sales volumes and average steelmaking coal prices depend on timely arrival of vessels and performance of our steelmaking coal-loading facilities, as well as the level of spot pricing sales.

We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required under securities laws. Further information concerning risks and uncertainties associated with these forward-looking statements and our business can be found in our Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed under our profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov) under cover of Form 40-F, as well as subsequent filings that can also be found under our profile.

Webcast

Teck will host an Investor Conference Call to discuss its Q4/2017 financial results at 11:00 AM Eastern time, 8:00 AM Pacific time, on Wednesday, February 14, 2018. A live audio webcast of the conference call, together with supporting presentation slides, will be available at our website at www.teck.com. The webcast will be archived at www.teck.com.

Download/view Q4 2017 Report for the full text of this release.

Investor Contact:
Fraser Phillips
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations & Strategic Analysis
604.699.4621
[email protected]

Media Contact: 
Marcia Smith
Senior Vice President, Sustainability and External Affairs
604.699.4616
[email protected]