2022 Results of Operations
LABRADOR IRON ORE ROYALTY CORPORATION
P R E S S R E L E A S E
Toronto, March 7, 2023
2022 RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Corporation (“LIORC”) (TSX: LIF) announced the results of its operations for
the year ended December 31, 2022.
To the Holders of Common Shares of Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Corporation
The Directors of Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Corporation ("LIORC" or the "Corporation") present the
Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2022.
85 Years in Labrador West
Labrador Ir on Ore Royalty Co rporation has been involved in Labrador West for 8 5 years. U nder a
Statutory Agreement with Newfoundland made in 1938, a predecessor company , Labrador Mini ng and
Exploration Limited (“LM&E”), was granted extensive explorat ion and m ining rights in Labrador West.
LM&E found the iron ore bodies that now constitute the mine operated by Iron Ore Company of
Canada. LM&E received grants of lease s and licences under the Statutory Agreement. It also re ceived a
grant of surface rights to establish the town site that became Labrador City. LM&E sublets the leases to
IOC and IOC, with major steel companies as original shareholders, built the infrastructure, mine, railway
and port. Under the sublease, LIORC r eceives a 7% gross overriding royalty on iron o re products
produced and sold by IOC.
Financial Performance
In 2022, LIORC’s financial results were negatively impacted by lower iron ore prices and lower volumes
of pelle t sales, partly offset by high er pellet premiums and higher volumes of concen trate f or sale
(“CFS”) sales. Net income per share for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $4.15 per share, which
was a 30% decrease over 2021. The cash flow from operations per share for 2022 was $2.88 per share,
which was 54% lower than in 2021 due to lower royalty revenues and decreased dividends from IOC.
IOC dividends decreased as a result of lower earnings at IOC and a decision by IOC to pay lower
shareholder dividends in or der to retain a higher cash balance due in part to expectations of higher
capital ex penditure needs going forward. In 2022, IOC paid dividends to its shareholde rs of US$ 345
million and had a year -end net working capital balance of US$274.7 million, compared to dividends of
US$1,200 million and a year-end net working capital balance of US$16.9 million in 2021.
In 202 2 global steel production dropped by 5%, as hig her inflation and global recessionary concerns
reduced the demand for steel. Steel production was also negatively impacted by China’s zero COVID-19
policy of strict lockdowns and concerns about China’s property construction sector . This resulted in
decreased demand from China and the rest of the world for seaborne iron ore, and hence iron ore prices
declined from the record prices experienced in 2021. IOC sells CFS based on the the Platts index for 65%
Fe, CFR China (the “65% Fe index”) . All references to tonnes and per tonne prices in this report refer to
wet metric tonnes, other than references to Platts quoted pricing, which refer to dry metric tonnes.
Historically, IOC’s wet ore contains approximately 3% less ore per equiv alent volume than dry ore. In
2022, the average price for the 65% Fe index was US$ 139 per tonne, a decrease of 25% year over year.
The 65% Fe index continued to be quite volatile throughout the year, starting the year at US$140 per
tonne and trading as high as US$192 per tonne in March a nd as low as US$91 per tonne in October,
before ending the year at US$131 per tonne.
Despite the reduction in steel production, the demand for pellets held firm and as a result the decline in
the price for pellets was mitigated by an increase in the pell et premium. The monthly Atlantic Blast
Furnace 65% Fe pel let premium index as qu oted by Platts (the “pellet premium”) averaged US$72 per
tonne in 2022, an increase of 20% from 2021.
Rio Tint o disclosed that IOC achieved an average realised price for pellets, FOB Sept -Îles of
approximately US$190 per tonne, a decrease of 11% year over year. Based on sales as reported for the
LIORC Royalty, the o verall average pri ce realize d by IOC for CFS and pellets, FOB Sept -Îles was
approximately US$153 per tonne in 2022, a decrease of 19% year over year. The decrease in the average
realized price FOB Sept-Îles in 2022 was a result of lower CFS and pellet prices.
Iron Ore Company of Canada Operations
Operations
Total concentrate production in 2022 was 19.1 million tonnes. This was 7% higher than 2021, in part as a
result of a lower strip ratio in 2022. IOC also successfully deployed the Rio Tinto Safe Production System
(SPS) at the c oncentrator in the year, which helped IOC achieve monthly records for concentrate
production and total material moved in the second quarter. Despite the successes , there contin ued to
be a number of operational issues that limited IOC from achievi ng concent rate production closer to
name plate capacity, including intermittent periods of a lack of feed at the concentrator due to the mine
and ore delivery system in the first quarter and equipment availability at the loadout during the fourth
quarter.
The IOC saleable production (CFS plus pellets) of 17.6 million tonnes in 2022 was 6% higher than 2021,
and was within the range of Rio Tinto’s original annual guidance of 17.0 to 18.7 million tonnes. In 2022,
CFS production of 7.95 million tonnes was 21% higher than 2021, mainl y due to higher concentrate
production referred to above. Pellet p roduction in 2022 of 9.6 million tonnes was 4% lower than 2021
mainly due to equipment reliability challenges, a negative stockpile survey adjustment and lower pelle t
recovery rates experienced during the year.
Third party iron ore haulage by the Québec North Shore and Labrador Railway Company, Inc. (“QNS&L”)
of 14.6 million tonnes in 2022 was 14% higher than in 2021, predominantly due to increased shipments
of iron ore from Champion Iron.
Sales as Reported for the LIORC Royalty
Total iron ore sales tonn age by IOC (CFS plus pellets) of 16. 4 million tonnes in 2022 was 3% lower than
the total sales tonnage in 2021, predominantly due to inventory availability, and a si gnificant weather
event in December that affected the timing of sales in the fourth quarter.
Capital Expenditures
Capital expenditures for IOC were $460 million in 2022. This was 8% lower than 2021, but substantially
higher than 2020 . Capital ex penditures in 2022 were 24% lower than the $606 million that IOC had
originally forecasted, mainly due to the decision by IOC to defer certain capital projects, including the
redesign of the tailings system, the rebuild of induration machine #3 at the pell et plant , and the
construction of a parallel outgo rail track to improve the dumping speed and opera tional efficiency at
Sept-Îles.
Outlook
Rio Tinto’s 2023 guidance for IOC’s saleable production tonnage (CFS plus pellets) is 17.9 million to 19.6
million tonnes. T his compares to 17.6 million tonnes of saleable production in 2022. Despite the lower
current pellet premiums, it is expected that IOC will continue to focus on maximizing pellet production
in 2023.
The capital expenditures for 2023 at IOC are forecas ted by IOC to be approximately $534 million. The
2023 forecast includes approximately $ 134 million of growth and development projects. Significant
development capi tal expe nditure projec ts scheduled for 202 3 include the redesign of Mill 11 Fine
Circuit, the new outgo track at Sept-Îles referred to above, and the replacement of existing heavy fuel oil
steam capacity with an electric boiler to reduce carbon e missions. Significant sustaining capital
expenditure projects include the r ebuild of induration machin e #3 at th e pellet plant and the track
replacement program on the QNS&L.
IOC’s operator, Rio Tinto, is committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050 a nd is targ eting a 15%
reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2025 (from a 20 18 baseline) and a 50% redu ction by 2 030.
Approximately 75% of IOC’s current GHG emissions come from pelletizing. In the shorter term, IOC is
looking at ways to electrify its sources of heat to reduce emissions. This includes the introduction of the
new electric boiler referred to above and the commencement of the pilot project to test the use of four
new plasma torches in the pellet plant.
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 technol ogies to decarbonize. Optimizing the use of t raditional blast
furnaces involves the use of higher-grade iron ore, such as that produced by IOC. Additionally, the direct
reduction of hig h-grade iron ore pellets (such as those pro duced by IOC) is already an available
technology today using natural gas as a reductant to produce a low -carbon iron p roduct that can be
directly processed in an electric arc furnace. Switching from natural gas to green hydrogen would make
this a net zero process route. Rio Tinto states that in 2023 it will further evaluate opportunities in North
America and the Middle East to produce hot briquetted iron (HBI) with hydro-based green hydrogen and
high-grade iron ore from IOC.
On January 31, 2023, IOC and The Naskapi Nation of Kawaw achikamach signed an agreement to
establish a mutually beneficial relationship based on dia logue, collaboration and trust between the
company and the comm unity over the com ing decades. T he socio-economic agreement aims to create
opportunities for greater p articipation by Naskapi people in IOC’s activities through training and
development, employ ment, collaboration on environmental projects, and pr ocurement. It will also
protect and encour age the practice of traditional activities and provide long -term financial benefits to
the Naskapi Nation.
Despite the significant decrease in iron ore market s in the second half of 202 2, prices have recently
improved as China has eased its zero COVID-19 policy of strict lockdowns and there are some indications
that there wi ll be supp ort fo r China’s property sector. Currently, the World Steel Association is
forecasting a 2.2% increase in global steel production for 2023, suggesting further sup port for iron ore
prices. Thus far in 2023 (January and February), the average price of the 65% Fe index has been US$139
per tonne, which is equal to the annual average of the 65% Fe index in 202 2 and up from an average of
US$111 per tonne in the fourth quarter of 2022. However, the demand for pellets has remained weaker
and thus far in 2023 (January and February) the average pellet premium has averaged US$46 per tonne
compared to an annual average of US$72 per tonne in 2022.
I would lik e to take this opp ortunity to th ank our Shareholders for their interest and loyalty and my
fellow Directors for their guidance and support.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the Directors of the Corporation,
John F. Tuer
President and Chief Executive Officer
March 7, 2023
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 corpora tion under a plan of arrangement completed on July 1, 2010.
LIORC is also the suc cessor by amalgamation of a predecessor of LIORC with Labrador Mining Company
Limited, for merly a w holly-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 and a 10 cent per tonne commission on all iron or e
products produced, sold and shipped by IOC. Generally, LIORC pays cash dividends from the free cash
flow generated from IOC to the ma ximum extent possible, subject to the maintenance of appropriate
levels of working ca pital. 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 directo rs of
Hollinger-Hanna. The Directors, in addition to ma naging the affairs of the Corporation and Hollinger -
Hanna, over see the Corporatio n’s interests in IOC. The Audit, Compensation and Nominating
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 Corpo ration include admini strative 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 2022 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 t o IOC and its ope rations. IOC is one of Canada’s largest iron ore produ cers,
operating a mine, concentrator and pellet plant at L abrador City, Newfoundland a nd Labrador, a nd is
among the top five producers of seaborne iron ore pellets in the world. It has been producing a nd
processing iron ore concentrate and pellets since 1 954. IOC is strategically situated to serve markets
throughout the world from its year-round port facilities at Sept-Îles, Québec.
IOC has ore reserves sufficient for approximately 24 years at current production rates with additional
resources of a great er magnitude. It currently has the nominal capacity to ex tract arou nd 55 million
tonnes of crude ore annually. The crude ore is processed into iron ore concentrate and then either s old
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-Îles, Québec via its wholly-owned
QNS&L, a 418 kilometer rail line which links the mine an d the port. From there, the products are
shipped to markets throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
IOC’s 2022 sales tonnages totaled 16.3 million tonnes, comprised of 9.2 million tonnes of iron ore pellets
and 7.1 million tonnes of iron ore concentrate. Saleable production in 2022 was 9.6 million tonnes of
pellets and 7.9 million tonnes of CFS. I OC generated ore sales revenues (excluding third party ore sales)
of $3,184 million in 2022 (2021 - $3,922 million).
Selected IOC Financial Information
2022 2021 2020 2019 2018
($ in millions)
Operating Revenues(1) 3,426 4,147 3,099 2,719 1,930
Cash Flow from Operating
Activities
1,021
1,955
837
1,302
578
Net Income 1,028 1,551 842 749 383
Capital Expenditures (2) 460 498 288 294 205
(1) 2022 and 2021 Ore sales revenue is presented on a net basis (net of related freight costs) to align with IFRS financial statements presentation.
(2) Reported on an incurred basis
IOC Royalty
The Corporation holds certain leases and licenses covering approximately 18 ,200 hectares of land near
Labrador City. IOC has sublease d certain portions of thes e lands from which it currently mines iron ore.
In return, IOC pays the Corpo ration a 7% gross overriding royalty on all sales of iron o re products
produced from these land s. A 20% tax on the royalty is payable to the Government o f Newfoundland
and Labrador. For the five years prior to 2022, the average royalty net of the 20% tax h ad been $150.2
million per year and in 2022 the net royalty was $184.6 million (2021 - $222.2 million).
Because the royalty is “off-the-top”, it is not dependent on the profitabi lity 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 Corporatio n directly and through its w holly owned subsidiary,
Hollinger-Hanna, owns a 1 5.10% equity interest in IOC. The other sharehol ders of IO C 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 2022, Hollinger-Hanna received a total of $1.6 million
in commissions from IOC (2021 - $1.7 million).
Quarterly Dividends
Dividends of $ 3.10 per share were declared in 2022 (2021 – dividends of $6.00 per share ). These
dividends were allocated as follows:
Period
Record
Payment
Dividend
Income
Total
Dividend
Ended Date Date per Share ($ Million)
Mar. 31, 2022 Mar. 31, 2022 Apr. 26, 2022 $0.50 $32.0
Jun. 30, 2022 Jun. 30, 2022 Jul. 26, 2022 0.90 57.6
Sep. 30, 2022 Sep. 29, 2022 Oct. 26, 2022 1.00 64.0
Dec. 31, 2022 Dec. 30, 2022 Jan. 26, 2023 0.70 44.8
Dividend to Shareholders – 2022 $3.10 $198.4
Mar. 31, 2021 Mar. 31, 2021 Apr. 26, 2021 $1.00 $64.0
Jun. 30, 2021 Jun. 30, 2021 Jul. 26, 2021 1.75 112.0
Sep. 30, 2021 Sep. 30, 2021 Oct. 26, 2021 2.10 134.4
Dec. 31, 2021 Dec. 31, 2021 Jan. 26, 2022 1.15 73.6
Dividend to Shareholders – 2021 $6.00 $384.0
The quarterly dividends are payable to all shareholders of record on or before the last 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 consoli dated financial condition and results of operations of
the Corporation fo r the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. Thi s discussion should be
read in conjunction wit h the consolidated financial statements of the Corporation and notes
thereto for the yea rs ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 which are prepared in acco rdance
with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IF RS”) as is sued by the Intern ational
Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) and all amounts are shown in Canadian dollars unless
otherwise indicated.
Overview of the Business
The Corporati on is a Can adian 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, for merly 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 affecte d by the volume and mix o f iron ore products produc ed and sold, costs of
production and the prices received. Iron ore dema nd and pri ces fluctuate and are affected by
numerous factors which include demand for steel and steel products, the relative exchange rate
of the US doll ar, global and regional demand a nd production, political and economic conditions
and production costs in major producing areas.
Financial Highlights
2022 2021 2022 2021
Revenue 48.3 60.1 232.9 279.7
Equity earnings from IOC 19.7 45.9 154.1 229.6
Net income 44.6 78.2 265.4 379.8
Net income per share $ 0.70 $ 1.22 $ 4.15 $ 5.93
Dividend from IOC 15.4 48.5 69.1 227.8
Cash flow from operations 60.5 106.6 184.2 402.4
Cash flow from operations per share (1) $ 0.95 $ 1.67 $ 2.88 $ 6.29
Adjusted cash flow (1) 41.9 81.6 197.8 382.6
Adjusted cash flow per share (1) $ 0.65 $ 1.27 $ 3.09 $ 5.98
Dividends declared per share $ 0.70 $ 1.15 $ 3.10 $ 6.00
(1) This is a non-IFRS financial measure and does not have a standard meaning under IFRS.
Please refer to Standardized Cash Flow and Adjusted Cash Flow section in the MD&A.
($ in millions except per share information)
Year Ended
December 31,
Three Months Ended
December 31,
The lower revenue, net income and equity earnings achieved in 2022 as compared to 2021 were
mainly due to lower realized iron ore conce ntrate and pellet prices and lower sales tonnages.
Iron prices were lower in 2022 than 2021 as higher inflation and gl obal recessionary concerns
and China’s zero COVID -19 policy of strict lockdowns and con cerns about China’s property
construction industry reduced the global deman d for steel. Despite higher saleable product ion,
total sales tonnages (pellets and CFS) at IOC were 3% lower in 2022 than 2021 predominantly
due to inventory availability, and a sig nificant weather ev ent in December that affected th e
timing of sales in the fourth quarter.
Fourth quarter 2022 sales tonnages (pellets and CFS) were lower year-over-year by 11% despite
higher saleable production , due to inventory availability and a signi ficant weather even t in
December that affected the timing of sales. Royalty revenue was $47.6 million for the quarter as
compared to $59.5 million for the same period in 2021. Fourth quarter 2022 cash flow from
operations was $ 60.5 million or $ 0.95 per sha re compared to fourth qua rter 2021 cash flow
from o perations of $ 106.6 million or $ 1.67 per share. LIORC received an IOC d ividend in the
fourth quarter of 2022 in the amount of $15.4 million or $0.24 per share (2021 - $48.5 million or
$0.76 per share). Equity earnings from I OC amounted to $19.7 million or $0.31 per share in the
fourth quarter of 2022 compared to $ 45.9 million or $ 0.72 per share for the same period in
2021.
Operating Highlights
IOC Operations 2022 2021 2022 2021
Sales(1)
Pellets 1.94 2.89 9.17 9.97
Concentrate for sale ("CFS") (2) 2.02 1.55 7.21 6.87
Total(3) 3.96 4.44 16.38 16.84
Production
Concentrate produced 4.76 4.77 19.09 17.89
Saleable production
Pellets 2.29 2.54 9.61 9.99
CFS 2.02 1.72 7.95 6.58
Total(3) 4.31 4.25 17.56 16.57
Average index prices per tonne (US$)
65% Fe index(4) $ 111 $ 129 $ 139 $ 185
62% Fe index(5) $ 99 $ 110 $ 120 $ 159
Pellet premium(6) $ 61 $ 56 $ 72 $ 60
(1) For calculating the royalty to LIORC.
(2) Excludes third party ore sales.
(3) Totals may not add up due to rounding.
(4) The Platts index for 65% Fe, CFR China.
(5) The Platts index for 62% Fe, CFR China.
(6) The Platts Atlantic Blast Furnace 65% Fe pellet premium index.
(in millions of tonnes)
Year Ended
December 31,December 31,
Three Months Ended