Teck Coal Ltd. (Teck) proposed to extend the lifespan of its Fording River Operations, an existing coal mine near Elkford, British Columbia, by expanding mining to Castle Mountain (referred to as the Castle Project). This would allow Fording River Operations to maintain a production rate of up to 10 million metric tons (mt) of clean coal per year. Teck has proposed that pre-construction of the Castle Project would commence in 2023, followed by production in 2026. Teck anticipates that all coal for Fording River Operations would come from the Castle Project by the early 2030s and extend the life of Fording River Operations by several decades.
The Castle Project is subject to review under British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Act (2018).
The Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) is inviting the public and Indigenous nations to review the Initial Project Description and provide feedback related to the proposed project. Comments received will support the EAO in the preparation of the summary of engagement for the project. Once completed, the summary of engagement will be provided to Teck to inform the next steps in the process.
In order to provide information to the public about the initial project description, and to receive comments from the public, the EAO is inviting the public to one of several open house options. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated physical distancing and self-isolation measures, these open houses will be held virtually.
