Teck had it's chance with Cobre....
Teck has Highland valley (a low grade cash cow)
http://www.teck.com/Generic.aspx?PAGE=Teck+Site%2fDiversified+Mining+Pages%2fCopper+Pages%2fHighland+Valley+Copper+Pages%2fProduction&portalName=tc
But after Highland, those workers will need a job, and the equipment a home...
Cobre and Teck
''Vancouver-based Teck already knows Cobre Panama well, having operated the project until it walked away from it in 2008 when commodity markets briefly crashed at a time when the company was under duress following a major acquisition. Soon afterward, copper prices rebounded and, while off record highs of a year ago, remain healthy.
“The main thing that’s changed is the price of copper has sustained itself at a remarkably high level,” said Mr. Goldie, pointing at prices near $3.60 a pound and which compare to average costs of production at $1.60 a pound.
Industry sources estimate that up to a dozen companies – First Quantum is not one of them – have visited Inmet’s massive Cobre Panama copper project in the past three years as it tried to attract a joint venture partner to help shoulder some $6.2-billion in development costs.
It backed off of those efforts in the summer as the project became fully financed, including a $1-billion gold-streaming agreement with Franco Nevada Corp. that investors applauded as an endorsement of a project that will become the largest base metals mine ever in Central America.
If Inmet were to put itself up for auction it would likely attract most of the world’s major copper producers, all of them eager for a peek at confidential data surrounding Cobre Panama, even if they have no plan to submit bids.''
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/potential-suitors-eye-inmets-panama-project/article6533438/
