It looks as if Teck Resources Ltd. is getting serious about building up its gold business again.

Vancouver-based Teck used to have a strong collection of gold development projects. But in 2009, the company was struggling to survive a severe debt crisis and ended up selling its key gold assets to Barrick Gold Corp., Kinross Gold Corp. and Alamos Gold Inc. It raised more than $1-billion through those sales, and since then, it has not spoken much about gold as it focused on growing its coal and copper businesses.

But Teck never forgot about gold, and continued to work on its exploration plays in countries like Mexico and Turkey. And at the PDAC show, it distributed a pamphlet stating that it is looking to form joint ventures on new gold opportunities. It is the strongest signal yet that the company, now in a stronger financial position, is still keen to be a major player in gold one day.

“Partnerships can include alliances, joint ventures and equity financing,” Teck said in the pamphlet. “Teck is a shareholder in, and manager of, an equity pool of over 100 junior mining companies which provide both significant value and opportunity.”

http://business.financialpost.com/2013/03/04/pdac-2013-teck-cares-about-gold-again-apparently/