Teck Resources hopes to start the process later this year for potentially expanding the life of the Highland Valley Copper mine until 2040.
The open-pit mine just outside of Logan Lake will be open until 2027 and, three years ago, Teck announced plans to pursue extending its life until 2040.
Teck is looking to expand the footprint of the mine by 800 hectares and would expand the Highmont pits and waste rock dumps.
Permits will need to be approved for expanding the mine, which Teck plans to submit either late in 2021 or early in 2022. The province would need a year to review permits for approval, and Teck’s board of directors would then decide on the mine expansion afterwards. The company adds that the COVID-19 pandemic has not impacted those timelines.
If expansion is approved, there would be a projected 25 per cent increase in production at the mine, as well as a 27 per cent increase in water usage; Teck says more than 80 per cent of the water it uses today is recycled. The tailings storage area would also be expanded and power lines and Laura Lakes Road would likely need to be realigned, and Teck says it does “not anticipate effects to road users nor an increase in traffic” for people who use Laura Lakes Rd.
Currently, the mine is undergoing a provincial environmental assessment, which has been ongoing since 2019 and is necessary if the life if the mine were to be extended.
Meanwhile, Teck continues to move forward with bringing in autonomous trucks to the mine. It says since 2019, six autonomous trucks have moved an estimated 60 million tons of material. Eventually, the mine expects to have 35 out of 52 pit trucks as autonomous. Teck adds it will not let go of any current employees and “will continue to have entry-level positions” as it moves to more automation.
Construction on the expansion would start in the first three months of 2023 if approved.
In general, Teck expects its work force to remain stable if the mine’s life is extended. If the mine’s life weren’t extended, Teck says the alternative would be starting to decline operations in 2023 before closing the mine in 2027.
The mine, which has operating for more than 50 years, employs an estimated 1,300 people, many of whom live in Logan Lake, Ashcroft and Kamloops, as well as other surrounding communities like Merritt and Lower Nicola.
