… it experiences grades problems with QB2 copper mine in Chile

A couple of snippets from the above article - general interest only and nothing to add to the CF conversation:

. . . . . . .
Teck Resources Ltd. is cutting its copper forecast because of grade problems at its QB2 mine just weeks after the big Canadian miner doubled down on the critical mineral after jettisoning its legacy coal business.

Vancouver-based Teck on Wednesday lowered its full-year copper forecast by just under 7 per cent to about 468,000 tonnes. The company also reduced its guidance on molybdenum, a key steel alloy, by 19 per cent.

Teck’s production woes stem from problems at its giant QB2 mine in Chile. Teck put the copper mine in the high mountains of northern Chile into production last year after an arduous and expensive multiyear construction period.

The company on Wednesday said that its grades at QB2 will come in slightly lower than predicted in the second half of the year, because of both geotechnical issues and pit dewatering. Shehzad Bharmal, senior vice-president of operations with Teck, said Wednesday in a conference call with analysts that the problem stems from an area of instability in the open-pit mine that is preventing access to higher-grade ore. Teck is now working to reinforce and buttress the affected area.

“We expect to complete this work later this year, and have full access by early next year,” Mr. Bharmal said.

...and...

Glencore originally proposed buying all of Teck early last year, including the company’s copper and zinc mines, in a US$23.1-billion transaction. But Teck repeatedly rejected Glencore’s advances. Controlling Teck shareholder Norman B. Keevil said he was opposed to Glencore buying all of Teck, telling The Globe and Mail that “Canada is not for sale.”

When Federal Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne approved the Glencore takeover of Teck’s coal business, he sent a stern message that essentially echoed Mr. Keevil’s comments. From now on, he vowed to approve the acquisition of Canadian miners with significant critical-minerals operations by foreign investors only under the most exceptional of circumstances. That appears to mean that Teck and other big Canadian critical-minerals miners are essentially takeover-proof.

But Mr. Pipes said the lack of absolute clarity over the takeover rules in Canada is troubling and casts doubt on a central tenet of the stock market.

“The ability to exit is deeply ingrained in our system,” he said. “But times are changing, and so how far does it go?”