FACTBOX-Teck Cominco looks to slim down

(In U.S. dollars unless noted)

Nov 20 (Reuters) - Teck Cominco Ltd (TCKb.TO) unveiled a plan to cut costs by about C$1.3 billion on Thursday, as Canada's biggest base metals miner grapples with a weighty debt load from its purchase of Fording Canadian Coal Trust. Here are facts about the company and its plan:

OPERATIONS

Formed from the combination of Teck and Cominco in 2001, the Vancouver, British Columbia-based company is a major producer of copper, metallurgical coal and zinc. It also produces gold, molybdenum and specialty metals and has interests in several oil sands developments.

Before the cuts and asset sales announced on Thursday, Teck owned or had stakes in 16 operating mines in Canada, the United States, Chile and Peru, according to its website. It also owns a metallurgical complex in Canada.

WORKFORCE

At the end of 2007, it had 8,850 employees at the mining and metallurgical operations it operates and 10,250 at operations in which it had a stake. Those staff worked at 50 locations in 14 countries, Teck's annual report said.

FINANCIALS

The company earned C$1.6 billion on revenue of C$6.37 billion ($4.9 billion) in 2007, with a cash flow of C$1.7 billion.

It was largely debt free just over a year ago with C$5 billion in cash. Teck's stock has plunged 90 percent since June as the company took on $4 billion in term debt in its $13 billion Fording takeover, which closed in October.

DEBT PLAN

Combined with a C$1.1 billion tax break, the measures total C$2.4 billion and are aimed mainly at helping Teck pay down and refinance a $5.8 billion bridge loan. The plan includes:

* suspension of 2009 dividend for class A and class B shares, saving an estimated C$486 million;

* a cut in capital spending to C$250 million from C$580 million forecast in 2008;

* a cut in spending on project development to C$250 million in 2009, excluding the Fort Hills oil sands project, from C$650 million in 2008 (About C$160 million of 2009 spending is earmarked for the Andacolo concentrate project in Chile);

* withdrawal from the Petaquilla copper project in Panama;