Teck announces major upgrades at Trail and Highland Valley operations

Teck Resources has announced that it is investing in two of its operations in British Columbia, Canada. Teck will invest US$200.4 million at its Trail Operations to significantly increase its capacity to recycle end-of-life electronic waste (e-waste) and US$453.4 million in a mill modernisation project at Highland Valley Copper.

Don Lindsay, president and CEO of Teck, said: “These projects will improve the long-term viability of two of our key operations.”

The No.4 Furnace Project at Trail Operations includes the construction of a new slag fuming furnace and settling furnace that will integrate into the existing lead smelting process. Construction on the project will begin in 2012 with completion scheduled for 2014.

“This is part of our ongoing commitment to the community of Trail,” said Mr. Lindsay. “Last year we recycled just over 13,000t of e-waste at our Trail Operations, and this project will significantly increase our capacity to recycle end-of-life electronic components, helping to keep them out of landfills and allowing for the recovery and reuse of valuable metals.”

The 40-year-old mill at Highland Valley Copper will be modernised and will extend the life of the mill to match the expected mine life. The project is also expected to increase mill throughput by approximately 10% and copper recoveries by approximately 2%. Construction will begin immediately, and the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.

Mr. Lindsay added: “We have significantly extended the life of the Highland Valley Copper mine in recent years, and the modernisation of the mill makes sense, especially given the expected increases in throughput and copper recoveries.”