The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that Teck is ratcheting up the capital cost estimate for its QB2 copper mine yet again, as uncertainty persists over an impending restructuring that will likely see Canada's biggest diversified miner sell its coal operations. The Globe's Niall McGee writes that since the spring, Vancouver-based Teck has been in talks with companies interested in buying its core metallurgical coal business, after it failed in an earlier attempt to spin it off to shareholders. Among the parties interested in the unit are Glencore of Switzerland, Japan's Nippon Steel, India's JSW Steel and a consortium led by Canadian mining veteran Pierre Lassonde. In a conference call with analysts on Tuesday morning, after the release of the company's third-quarter earnings, Teck chief executive officer Jonathan Price provided few new details about the sales process, and reiterated that a decision is likely before the end of the year. "We're well positioned right now. We're happy with the level of competition we have, and I'm confident we can get a good outcome for shareholders," he said. Teck is increasing its exposure to copper as the metal trades at a significantly higher valuation to coal.