About the Fording River Extension Project

Teck is proposing an extension of Teck’s existing Fording River Operations that will maintain the jobs and economic benefits generated by the operation in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Fording River Operations is a steelmaking coal mine in the East Kootenay Region of southeast B.C., and currently produces steelmaking coal from existing permitted reserves. Within the next few years, less economic coal will be available from these areas.

The proposed Fording River Extension, or FRX, will extend mining to provide a new source of mineable steelmaking coal. The Project area is adjacent to and south of the existing operations, and its extensive deposits of mineable steelmaking coal make it a logical extension of the Fording River Operations. FRX will make use of existing equipment and infrastructure in order to minimize the footprint of the new activities.

Over time, Teck anticipates that all steelmaking coal for Fording River will come from the Project area. This will extend the life of Fording River Operations by several decades, and therefore also extend the economic and social benefits of the operation in the Elk Valley.

Project Components and Activities

Mine Development Process

The Fording River Extension is currently in the design stage. During this stage, Teck is defining specific aspects of the Project design using feedback gathered from local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and government agencies.

To align with the need for additional steelmaking coal at Fording River Operations to extend the mine life and maintain employment and regional economic benefits, Teck anticipates that pre-construction activities for FRX will begin in 2023 in order to start production in 2026. By the early 2030s, all steelmaking coal for Fording River would come from the Project.

Fording River Extension will benefit from Teck’s extensive steelmaking coal mining experience in the Elk Valley and relationships with communities throughout the region. In developing the Project, Teck will evaluate the use of new and innovative technologies, wherever practicable. New technologies and practices can improve safety and help avoid or reduce environmental impacts. Teck will consider how these and other opportunities can be integrated into the Project design from early on.