FRX Project frequently asked questions

The FRX Project is a proposed extension of EVR’s existing Fording River Operations (FRO). FRX would maintain approximately 1,500 jobs and continue to be a significant contributor to the local, provincial, and national economies while undertaking efforts to minimize and mitigate its impact on the environment and build strong partnerships with communities and Indigenous Peoples. 

The Project area is located adjacent to and south of the existing Fording River Operations. The Project plans to use existing equipment and infrastructure at FRO, providing an opportunity to reduce the footprint of new activities. The Project will also require additional infrastructure, including new satellite components.  

Learn more about the FRX Project.

The FRX Project is undergoing a coordinated assessment process under the B.C. Environmental Assessment Act and the Canadian Impact Assessment Act, which is expected to take several years and will include opportunities for public input.  

The coordinated assessment process will review the potential environmental, economic, social, cultural and health effects of the Project.  

Learn more about the coordinated assessment process.

Steelmaking coal – also called metallurgical coal or coking coal — is a key transition-enabling resource that is an essential input for steel production which is needed for energy transition products like wind turbines and critical infrastructure including rail, bridges, hospitals and schools.  

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Global population growth, increased urbanization and a growing middle class are expected to continue to drive long-term demand for steel and the steelmaking coal required to produce it. 

While some kinds of steel can be made by other processes, including through the use of scrap steel in electric arc furnaces, about 70% of global steel production relies on steelmaking coal. Certain higher grades of steel can only be made using steelmaking coal. 

Learn more about steelmaking coal

On July 4, 2025, EVR submitted a revised Detailed Project Description to the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office that describes the refinements that have been made to the project design. If the Revised DPD is accepted by the B.C. EAO, it will move into the environmental assessment phase and, if approved, construction of the Project would occur between 2028 to 2030. With this proposed timeline, mining operations would commence in 2030 along with the production of high-quality steelmaking coal. The project is designed as a generational project that would allow continued operations at Fording River Operations, providing benefits to local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and the public. 

Learn more about the FRX Project timeline.

Based on feedback received through engagement with Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡiʾit  and the Ktunaxa Nation Council, and in alignment with the direction provided in the Readiness Decision made by the BC EAO in February 2023, EVR has reduced the project footprint and introduced new strategies aimed at further reducing new disturbance, protecting valued components of the natural and human environment, prioritizing progressive backfilling and reclamation, and integrating additional water quality measures.

These efforts contribute to a Project that provides the steelmaking coal the world needs in a socially and environmentally responsible manner and is more compatible with local Indigenous values.

Project refinements include: 

• Staged mining approach: The mine plan has been divided into two smaller stages based on footprint and schedule, supporting engagement with Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡiʾit and the Ktunaxa Nation Council. 
• Project location: Refinements have been incorporated to avoid mine rock placement within the Chauncey Creek catchment area with over 70% of mine rock placement in existing disturbance or in-pit backfill.
• Reduced Project footprint: The footprint has been reduced, avoiding additional high elevation grasslands, riparian areas, and reducing potential impacts in the Chauncey Creek catchment area.  
• Reduced pit shell size: To reduce potential impacts with the direction of flow of groundwater, the pit shell size has been reduced and shallowed to keep the bottom of the shell above the proximate elevation of the Fording River. This refinement also reduces total mine rock volumes by approximately 25%. 
• Coal volume and mine life: The pit shell reduction has decreased coal volume by approximately 20%, resulting in a Project life of 35 years.  
• Water treatment: Saturated rock fills (SRFs) are incorporated into both mining stages.  EVR’s existing water treatment facilities are removing between 95% and 99% of selenium from treated water. The mine design is also amenable to emerging source control technologies, including suboxic zones, which are designed to control the release of constituents at the source, reducing or eliminating release into nearby watersheds.  
• Water management: A water reservoir has been incorporated to store mine contact water. This reservoir reduces non-mine contact water consumption, enhances water treatment capacity during low-flow periods, and provides an opportunity to mitigate and release water during low-flow periods. 
• Landform design: Landform designs create higher land elevations, support ecosystem function, habitat connectivity, and progressive reclamation, with ongoing efforts to further enhance landform design. 
• Other plausible mitigations: Throughout mine design refinements and optimizations, the BC Policy for Mitigating Impacts on Environmental Values has been applied, with attention to the mitigation hierarchy in order of priority. Plausible mitigations to address Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡiʾit  and the Ktunaxa Nation Council’s concerns for the continuation of mining in Qukin ʔamakʔis (Elk Valley) have been further developed. These efforts have also led to improvements in the preliminary end landform and support of progressive reclamation.