Once the extension is finished, the Highland Valley Copper operations are expected to contribute about $500 million annually to Canada's gross domestic product. Courtesy of Teck Resources.
Teck Resources received an environmental assessment certificate from the British Columbia government for its Highland Valley Copper mine life extension project, which will extend the mine’s operations from 2028 to 2043 the company announced June 17.
Site preparation at the south-central B.C. mine is expected to begin soon, while additional permits are being secured. Teck’s board of directors will make a final construction decision in the third quarter of this year.
The project will expand the current open pit and upgrade some of the site’s infrastructure and processing facilities to support higher production levels, and result in 1,526 hectares of new land disturbance.
“This positive decision by the Government of B.C. will support extending the life of Canada’s largest copper mine, strengthening the North America critical minerals supply chain and contributing to jobs and economic activity,” said Jonathan Price, president and chief executive officer of Teck Resources, in a June 17 press release. “This is an important step forward that positions the project for a final construction sanction decision in the near term.”
In 2024, the Highland Valley Copper mine produced 102,000 tonnes of copper. The mine expansion is projected to deliver about 900 million additional tonnes of ore and nearly two million tonnes of copper throughout its extended operational life. The construction phase of the project is expected to create approximately 2,900 jobs, roughly 1,500 of which will be direct jobs during ongoing operations after construction is completed.
The project’s construction is expected to cost at least $1.5 billion, with a further estimated $690 million in operating expenses over the mine’s extended lifespan.
The environmental assessment process for the extension project began in September 2019. It is the first project in B.C. to submit a single, consolidated application that integrates an environmental assessment with all major provincial permits.
This expansion is part of Teck’s wider strategy to invest up to US$3.9 billion over the next four years, with the goal of increasing its total copper production to around 800,000 tonnes per year by 2030.
