:: Teck Cominco CESL Technology Copper Plant Construction Approved by CVRD

Teck Cominco Limited and Companhia Vale do Rio Doce ("CVRD") announce that CVRD has approved the construction of a 10,000 tonne-per-year industrial scale copper plant utilizing technology developed by Cominco Engineering Services Ltd. ("CESL"). The CESL Process is an environmentally friendly, copper extraction technology, which provides high overall recovery of copper at low capital and operating costs. Detailed engineering will begin immediately. Construction of the plant is scheduled to be completed by mid-2007.

"The agreement with CVRD is an important milestone in the development and commercialization of the CESL process," said Teck Cominco’s Doug Magoon, General Manager, Technology. "This plant will demonstrate the commercial viability of this important new technology". Mr. Paulo Libânio, CVRD’s Director, Non-Ferrous Department, stated that "CESL technology has been selected because of its capacity to treat concentrates with impurities, flexibility in scale of production, by-product recovery capability and the process is environmentally safe."

Incorporated in 1942, Companhia Vale do Rio Doce is the largest diversified mining company in the Americas and the fifth largest company in the global metals & mining industry with a market capitalization of US$27 billion. CVRD shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange - NYSE (RIO and RIOPR). Further information can be found at www.cvrd.com.br

CESL is a mining research and development group and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Teck Cominco Limited. Teck Cominco Limited is a diversified mining corporation, headquartered in Vancouver, Canada with assets totalling approximately $6 billion. Shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbols TEK.MV.A and TEK.SV.B. The Company is a world leader in the production of zinc and metallurgical coal and its diversified operations also produce significant quantities of copper and gold.