IOC sells CFS based on the the Platts index for 65% Fe, CFR China (the "65% Fe index"). All references to tonnes and per tonne prices in this report refer to wet metric tonnes, other than references to Platts quoted pricing, which refer to dry metric tonnes. Historically, IOC's wet ore contains approximately 3% less ore per equivalent volume than dry ore. In 2023, the average price for the 65% Fe index was US$132 per tonne, a decrease of 5% year over year. The 65% Fe index continued to be quite volatile throughout the year, starting the year at US$131 per tonne and trading as low as US$110 per tonne in May, before ending the year at US$151 per tonne.

In addition to the reduction in iron ore prices, pellet premiums dropped as steel producers, faced with tightening profit margins, substituted high quality pellets with cheaper, lower quality iron feed.

The monthly Atlantic Blast Furnace 65% Fe pellet premium index as quoted by Platts (the "pellet premium") averaged US$45 per tonne in 2023, a decrease of 38% from 2022.

Rio Tinto disclosed that IOC achieved an average realised price for pellets, FOB Sept-?les of approximately US$155 per tonne, a decrease of 18% year over year. Based on sales as reported for the LIORC Royalty, the overall average price realized by IOC for CFS and pellets, FOB Sept-?les was approximately US$130 per tonne in 2023, a decrease of 15% year over year. The decrease in the average realized price FOB Sept-?les in 2023 was a result of lower CFS and pellet prices.

Iron Ore Company of Canada Operations

Operations

Total concentrate production in 2023 was 17.7 million tonnes. This was 7% lower than 2022. While concentrate production was 5% higher in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the fourth quarter of 2022, this was not enough to offset the lower concentrate production in the third quarter due to unexpected equipment failures with the thickener rake drive and the overland delivery system conveyor belt and the lower concentrate production in the second quarter due to the impact of the forest fires.

The IOC saleable production (CFS plus pellets) of 16.5 million tonnes in 2023 was 6% lower than 2022 and was 8% lower than the low end of the range of Rio Tinto's original annual guidance of 17.9 to 19.6 million tonnes, due to extended plant downtime in the second and third quarters as a result of the equipment failures and forest fires referred to above. Saleable production in the fourth quarter of 4.6 million tonnes was 7% higher than the fourth quarter of 2022.  In 2023, CFS production of 8.2 million tonnes was 3% higher than 2022, mainly due to less concentrate being diverted to make pellets. Pellet production in 2023 of 8.3 million tonnes was 14% lower than 2022, partly as a result of lack of feed, as well as an increase in the duration of the induration machine 3 rebuild.

Despite the forest fires that limited rail service in the second quarter of 2023, third party iron ore haulage by the Québec North Shore and Labrador Railway Company, Inc. ("QNS&L") of 17.7 million tonnes in 2023 was 21% higher than in 2022 and 38% higher than in 2021, predominantly due to increased shipments of iron ore from Champion Iron Limited.

Sales as Reported for the LIORC Royalty

Total iron ore sales tonnage by IOC (CFS plus pellets) of 16.3 million tonnes in 2023 was 1% lower than the total sales tonnage in 2022, predominantly due to inventory availability in both 2023 and 2022.

Capital Expenditures

Capital expenditures for IOC were US$362 million in 2023, or 2% lower than 2022.  Capital expenditures in 2023 were 11% lower than the US$407 million that IOC had originally forecasted, mainly due to the decision by IOC to defer certain capital projects, including the rebuild of shovel 101 at the mine and culvert replacements along the QNS&L line, and delays in the development of the mine wireless network, the execution of the Mill 11 fine circuit redesign project to increase recovery yield, and the replacement of existing heavy fuel oil steam capacity with an electric boiler to reduce carbon emissions.

Outlook

Rio Tinto's 2024 guidance for IOC's saleable production tonnage (CFS plus pellets) is 16.7 million to 19.6 million tonnes. This compares to 16.5 million tonnes of saleable production in 2023.

Despite ongoing lower pellet premiums, it is expected that IOC will continue to focus on maximizing pellet production in 2023.

The capital expenditures for 2024 at IOC are forecasted by IOC to be approximately US$431 million. The 2024 forecast includes approximately US$80 million of growth and development projects.  Significant development capital expenditure projects include the redesign of Mill 11 Fine Circuit and the replacement of existing heavy fuel oil steam capacity with an electric boiler, which projects were previously scheduled for 2023 but delayed. Significant sustaining capital expenditure projects include the track replacement program at QNS&L to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the increased rail traffic.

In September, IOC announced a major donation of $4 million over two years to the Cégep de Sept-?les in Quebec, Canada for the construction of its new pavilion for training, research and innovation in the railway, industrial maintenance and energy intelligence industries. The new partnership will strengthen Sept-?les' position as a centre of excellence for specialised training in railway operations and provide local Indigenous communities with additional training and employment opportunities.

IOC's operator, Rio Tinto, continues to be committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050 and is targeting a 15% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2025 and a 50% reduction by 2030 ⁽¹⁾ (from a 2018 equity baseline). Approximately 70% of IOC's current total greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions come from pelletizing. In 2023, IOC began its pilot project to test the use of four new plasma torches in the pellet plant, which could potentially replace the use of bunker 'C' fuel oil in the induration process. More immediately, IOC has initiated a project (expected to be completed in the first half of 2025) to install an electric boiler to displace emissions from the usage of the heavy fuel oil boilers, as well as instrumentation and fuel-efficient burners to further reduce heavy fuel oil consumption in the induration process. Through the Low Carbon Economy Fund, the Government of Canada has awarded $18.1 million (or approximately 25% of the expected total cost of the project) to IOC to support the project, which is expected to eliminate approximately 9% of IOC's GHG emissions, or a cumulative reduction of about 2.2 million tonnes of GHG emissions over the lifetime of the project.

Rio Tinto's approach to addressing Scope 3 emissions is to engage with its customers on climate change and work with them to develop the technologies to decarbonize. Steel production currently accounts for approximately 9% of GHG emissions. Strategies to reduce steel production GHG emissions include optimizing the use of traditional blast furnaces through the use of higher-grade iron ore (such as that produced by IOC), and more importantly processing high-grade direct reduction iron ore pellets (such as those produced by IOC) for use as direct feed in electric arc furnaces.  In regard to this second process, Rio Tinto has stated that it is studying the feasibility of building a hydrogen-based hot briquetted iron plant at IOC. The proposed plant would have access to high-grade Direct Reduction pellets from IOC, and renewable electricity, with the prospect of producing green hydrogen.

Despite ongoing concerns regarding the global economy and the property sector in China in particular, the outlook for steel demand and for iron ore prices remains quite robust. Currently, the World Steel Association is forecasting a 1.9% increase in global steel production for 2024. Thus far in 2024 (January and February), the average price of the 65% Fe index has been US$142 per tonne, up from an average of US$132 per tonne in 2023. However, the demand for pellets has remained weaker and thus far in 2024 (January and February) the average pellet premium has averaged US$40 per tonne compared to an annual average of US$45 per tonne in 2023 and an annual average of US$72 per tonne in 2022.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Shareholders for their interest and support and my fellow Directors for their guidance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Directors of the Corporation,

John F. Tuer
President and Chief Executive Officer
March 12, 2024

Corporate Structure

LIORC is a Canadian corporation formed to give effect to the conversion of the Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Income Fund (the "Fund") into a corporation under a plan of arrangement completed on July 1, 2010. LIORC is also the successor by amalgamation of a predecessor of LIORC with Labrador Mining Company Limited, formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund, that occurred pursuant to the plan of arrangement.

LIORC, directly and through its wholly-owned subsidiary Hollinger-Hanna, holds a 15.10% equity interest in IOC and receives a 7% gross overriding royalty on all iron ore product produced, sold and shipped by IOC and a 10 cent per tonne commission on all iron ore products produced and sold by IOC.  Generally, LIORC pays cash dividends from the free cash flow generated from IOC to the maximum extent possible, subject to the maintenance of appropriate levels of working capital. Quarterly dividends are payable to all shareholders of record on the last business day of each calendar quarter and are paid on or after the 26th day of the following month.

Seven Directors are responsible for the governance of the Corporation and also serve as directors of Hollinger-Hanna. The Directors, in addition to managing the affairs of the Corporation and Hollinger-Hanna, oversee the Corporation's interests in IOC. The Audit and Governance and Human Resources Committees are composed of four independent Directors.

Taxation

The Corporation is a taxable corporation. Dividend income received from IOC and Hollinger-Hanna is received tax free while royalty income is subject to income tax and Newfoundland and Labrador royalty tax. Expenses of the Corporation include administrative expenses. Hollinger-Hanna is a taxable corporation.

Income Taxes

Dividends to a shareholder that are paid within a particular year are to be included in the calculation of the shareholder's taxable income for that year. All dividends paid in 2023 were "eligible dividends" under the Income Tax Act.

Review of Operations

Iron Ore Company of Canada

The income of the Corporation is entirely dependent on IOC as the only assets of the Corporation and its subsidiary are related to IOC and its operations. IOC is one of Canada's largest iron ore producers, operating a mine, concentrator and pellet plant at Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador, and is among the top five producers of seaborne iron ore pellets in the world.  It has been producing and

processing iron ore concentrate and pellets since 1954.  IOC is strategically situated to serve markets throughout the world from its year-round port facilities at Sept-?les, Québec.

IOC has ore reserves sufficient for 21 years at current production rates with additional resources of a greater magnitude.  It currently has the nominal capacity to extract around 55 million tonnes of crude ore annually. The crude ore is processed into iron ore concentrate and then either sold or converted into many different qualities of iron ore pellets to meet its customers' needs. The iron ore concentrate and pellets are transported to IOC's port facilities at Sept-?les, Québec via its wholly-owned QNS&L, a 418 kilometer rail line which links the mine and the port.  From there, the products are shipped to markets throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.

IOC's 2023 sales tonnages totaled 16.3 million tonnes, comprised of 8.4 million tonnes of iron ore pellets and 7.9 million tonnes of iron ore concentrate.   Saleable production in 2023 was 8.3 million tonnes of pellets and 8.2 million tonnes of CFS. IOC generated ore sales revenues (excluding third party ore sales) of $2,830 million in 2023 (2022 - $3,184 million).

Selected IOC Financial Information

IOC Royalty

The Corporation holds certain leases and licenses covering approximately 18,200 hectares of land near Labrador City. IOC has subleased certain portions of these lands from which it currently mines iron ore. In return, IOC pays the Corporation a 7% gross overriding royalty on all sales of iron ore products produced from these lands. A 20% tax on the royalty is payable to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. For the five years prior to 2023, the average royalty net of the 20% tax had been $162.1 million per year and in 2023 the net royalty was $158.8 million (2022 - $184.6 million).

Because the royalty is "off-the-top", it is not dependent on the profitability of IOC. However, it is affected by changes in sales volumes, iron ore prices and, because iron ore prices are denominated in US dollars, the United States - Canadian dollar exchange rate.

IOC Equity

In addition to the royalty interest, the Corporation directly and through its wholly owned subsidiary, Hollinger-Hanna, owns a 15.10% equity interest in IOC.  The other shareholders of IOC are Rio Tinto Limited with 58.72% and Mitsubishi Corporation with 26.18%.

IOC Commissions

Hollinger-Hanna has the right to receive a payment of 10 cents per tonne on the products produced and sold by IOC. Pursuant to an agreement, IOC is obligated to make the payment to Hollinger-Hanna so long

as Hollinger-Hanna is in existence and solvent.  In 2023, Hollinger-Hanna received a total of $1.6 million in commissions from IOC (2022 - $1.6 million).

Quarterly Dividends

Dividends of $2.55 per share were declared in 2023 (2022 – dividends of $3.10 per share). These dividends were allocated as follows:

The quarterly dividends are payable to all shareholders of record on the last business day of each calendar quarter and are paid on or after the 26th day of the following month.

Management's Discussion and Analysis

The following is a discussion of the consolidated financial condition and results of operations of the Corporation for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements of the Corporation and notes thereto for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 which are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB") and all amounts are shown in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.

Overview of the Business

The Corporation is a Canadian corporation resulting from the conversion of the Fund into a corporation under a plan of arrangement completed on July 1, 2010. LIORC is also the successor by amalgamation of a predecessor of LIORC with Labrador Mining Company Limited, formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund, that occurred pursuant to the plan of arrangement.

The Corporation is economically dependent on the operations of IOC. IOC's earnings and cash flows are affected by the volume and mix of iron ore products produced and sold, costs of production and the prices received. Iron ore demand and prices fluctuate and are affected by numerous factors which include demand for steel and steel products, the relative exchange rate of the US dollar, global and regional demand and production, political and economic conditions and production costs in major producing areas.

Financial Highlights

The lower revenue, net income and equity earnings achieved in 2023 as compared to 2022 were mainly due to lower iron ore prices and lower pellet premiums, as well as a less advantageous product mix (lower volumes of pellet sales and higher volumes of CFS sales). Iron ore prices and pellet premiums were lower as a result of flat demand for steel and low margins causing steel producers to favour cheaper, low quality iron ore over high quality iron ore products. Total sales tonnage (pellets and CFS) at IOC were 1% lower in 2023 than 2022, predominantly due to operational issues (thickener, overland conveyor, rebuild of induration machine #3, and forest fires, as referenced above) leading to inventory availability issues.

Fourth quarter 2023 sales tonnage (pellets and CFS) was higher year-over-year by 9% due to higher saleable production and improved inventory availability. Royalty revenue was $54.1 million for the quarter as compared to $47.6 million for the same period in 2022. Fourth quarter 2023 cash flow from operations was $26.4 million or $0.41 per share compared to fourth quarter 2022 cash flow from operations of $60.5 million or $0.95 per share. LIORC received no IOC dividend in the fourth quarter of 2023 (2022 - $15.4 million or $0.24 per share). Equity earnings from IOC amounted to $26.2 million or $0.41 per share in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to $19.7 million or $0.31 per share for the same period in 2022.

Operating Highlights

IOC's total concentrate production in 2023 of 17.7 million tonnes, was 7% lower than 2022. While concentrate production was 5% higher in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the fourth quarter of 2022, this was not enough to offset the lower concentrate production in the third quarter due to unexpected equipment failures with the thickener rake drive and the overland delivery system conveyor belt and the lower concentrate production in the second quarter due to the impact of the forest fires.  IOC's total saleable production (CFS plus pellets) of 16.5 million tonnes in 2023 was 6% lower than 2022, due to extended plant downtime in the second and third quarters as a result of the equipment failures and forest fires referred to above. In 2023, CFS production of 8.2 million tonnes was 3% higher than 2022, mainly due to less concentrate being diverted to make pellets. Pellet production in 2023 of 8.3 million tonnes was 14% lower than 2022, partly as a result of lack of feed, as well as an increase in the duration of the induration machine 3 rebuild.

IOC sells CFS based on the 65% Fe index. In 2023, the average price for the 65% Fe index was US$132 per tonne, a decrease of 5% year over year, mainly due to an increase in iron ore supply not being met by an increase in global steel production. In addition to the reduction in iron ore prices, pellet premiums dropped as steel producers, faced with tightening profit margins, substituted high quality pellets with cheaper, lower quality iron feed. The monthly pellet premium averaged US$45 per tonne in 2023, a decrease of 38% from 2022. Based on sales as reported for the LIORC Royalty, the overall average price realized by IOC for CFS and pellets, FOB Sept-?les was approximately US$130 per tonne in 2023, a decrease of 15% year over year. The decrease in the average realized price FOB Sept-?les in 2023 was a result of lower CFS and pellet prices.

Capital expenditures for IOC were US$362 million in 2023, or 2% lower than 2022.  Capital expenditures in 2023 were 11% lower than the US$407 million that IOC had originally forecasted, mainly due to the decision by IOC to defer certain capital projects, including the rebuild of shovel 101 at the mine, and culvert replacements along the QNS&L line, and delays in the development of the mine wireless network, the execution of the Mill 11 fine circuit redesign project to increase recovery yield, and the replacement of existing heavy fuel oil steam capacity with an electric boiler to reduce carbon emissions.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Corporation had $13.2 million (2022 - $39.9 million) in cash as at December 31, 2023 with total current assets of $67.5 million (2022 - $83.0 million). The Corporation had working capital of $27.2 million (2022 - $29.0 million). The Corporation's operating cash flow was $152.5 million (2022 - $184.2 million) and dividends paid during the year were $179.2 million, resulting in cash balances decreasing by $26.7 million during 2023.

Cash balances consist of deposits in Canadian dollars and US dollars with a Canadian chartered bank. Accounts receivable primarily consist of royalty payments from IOC. Royalty payments are received in U.S. dollars and converted to Canadian dollars on receipt, usually 25 days after the quarter end. The Corporation does not normally attempt to hedge this short-term foreign currency exposure.

Operating cash flow of the Corporation is sourced entirely from IOC through the Corporation's 7% royalty, 10 cents commission per tonne and dividends from its 15.10% equity interest in IOC. The Corporation normally pays cash dividends from the free cash flow generated from IOC to the maximum extent possible, subject to the maintenance of appropriate levels of working capital.

The Corporation has a $30 million revolving credit facility with a term ending September 18, 2026 with provision for annual one-year extensions.  No amount is currently drawn under this facility (2022—nil) leaving $30 million available to provide for any capital required by IOC or requirements of the Corporation.

Selected Consolidated Financial Information

The following table sets out financial data from a Shareholder's perspective for the three years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

The following table sets out quarterly revenue, net income, cash flow and dividend data for 2023 and 2022. Due to seasonal weather patterns the first and fourth quarters generally have lower production and sales. Royalty revenues and equity earnings in IOC track iron ore spot prices, which can be very volatile. Dividends, included in cash flow, are declared and paid by IOC irregularly according to the availability of cash.

Standardized Cash Flow and Adjusted Cash Flow

For the Corporation, standardized cash flow is the same as cash flow from operating activities as recorded in the Corporation's cash flow statements as the Corporation does not incur capital expenditures or have any restrictions on dividends. Standardized cash flow per share was $2.38 for 2023 (2022 - $2.88).

The Corporation also reports "Adjusted cash flow" which is defined as cash flow from operating activities after adjustments for changes in amounts receivable, accounts payable and income taxes recoverable and payable. It is not a recognized measure under IFRS.  The Directors believe that adjusted cash flow is a useful analytical measure as it better reflects cash available for distributions to Shareholders.

The following reconciles standardized cash flow from operating activities to adjusted cash flow.

Disclosure Controls and Internal Control over Financial Reporting

The President and CEO and the CFO are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting for the Corporation.  Two directors serve as directors of IOC and IOC provides monthly reports on its operations to them.  The Corporation also relies on financial information provided by IOC, including its audited financial statements, and other material information provided to the President and CEO and the CFO by officers of IOC.  IOC is a private corporation, and its financial statements are not publicly available.

The Directors are informed of all material information relating to the Corporation and its subsidiary by the officers of the Corporation on a timely basis and approve all core disclosure documents including the Management Information Circular, the annual and interim financial statements and related Management's Discussion and Analyses, the Annual Information Form, any prospectuses and all press releases related to the disclosure of quarterly and annual financial statements and the declaration of dividends.  An evaluation of the design and operating effectiveness of the Corporation's disclosure controls and procedures was conducted under the supervision of the President and CEO and CFO.  Based on their evaluation, they concluded that the Corporation's disclosure controls and procedures were effective in ensuring that all material information relating to the Corporation was accumulated and communicated for the year ended December 31, 2023.

The President and CEO and the CFO have designed internal control over financial reporting to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with IFRS.  An evaluation of the design and operating effectiveness of the Corporation's internal control over financial reporting was conducted under the supervision of the President and CEO and CFO.  Based on their evaluation, they concluded that the Corporation's internal control over financial reporting was effective and that there were no material weaknesses therein for the year ended December 31, 2023.

The preparation of financial statements requires the Corporation's management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of the assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses reported each period. Each of these estimates varies with respect to the level of judgment involved and the potential impact on the Corporation's reported financial results. Estimates are deemed critical when the Corporation's financial condition, change in financial condition or results of operations would be materially impacted by a different estimate or a change in estimate from period to period. By their nature, these estimates are subject to measurement uncertainty, and changes in these estimates may affect the consolidated financial statements of future periods.

No material change in the Corporation's internal control over financial reporting occurred during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Forward-Looking Statements

This report may contain "forward-looking" statements that involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Words such as "may", "will", "expect", "believe", "plan", "intend", "should", "would", "anticipate" and other similar terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect current assumptions and expectations regarding future events and operating performance as of the date of this report. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors could cause actual results to vary significantly, including iron ore price and volume volatility; the performance of IOC; market conditions in the steel industry; fluctuations in the value of the Canadian and U.S. dollar; mining risks that cause a disruption in operations and availability of insurance; disruption in IOC's operations caused by natural disasters, severe weather conditions and public health crises, including the COVID-19 outbreak; failure of information systems or damage from cyber security attacks; adverse changes in domestic and global economic and political conditions; changes in government regulation and taxation; national, provincial and international laws, regulations and policies regarding climate change that further limit the emissions of greenhouse gases or increase the costs of operations for IOC or its customers; changes affecting IOC's customers; competition from other iron ore producers; renewal of mining licenses and leases; relationships with indigenous groups; litigation; and uncertainty in the estimates of reserves and resources. A discussion of these factors is contained in LIORC's annual information form dated March 12, 2024 under the heading, "Risk Factors". Although the forward-looking statements contained in this report are based upon what management of LIORC believes are reasonable assumptions, LIORC cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward[1]looking statements are made as of the date of this report and LIORC assumes no obligation, except as required by law, to update any forward-looking statements to reflect new events or circumstances. This report should be viewed in conjunction with LIORC's other publicly available filings, copies of which can be obtained electronically on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

 

 

 

The complete consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023, including the notes thereto, are posted on https://www.sedarplus.ca and labradorironore.com.

SOURCE Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Corporation

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