Project design

The Fording River Extension (FRX) Project is a proposed extension of EVR’s existing Fording River Operations located in the East Kootenay region in southeastern British Columbia. The FRX Project is anticipated to extend the lifespan of our existing Fording River Operations (FRO) by approximately 35 years and will continue to be a significant contributor to the local, provincial, and national economies.

Following submission of a Detailed Project Description (DPD) in July 2021, the Chief Environmental Assessment Officer (CEAO) issued a Readiness Decision on February 21, 2023, with the recommendation that a Revised DPD be submitted after further consultation with Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi ‘it and the Ktunaxa Nation Council (KNC). 

Following further engagement with KNC and Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi ‘it, EVR submitted a Revised DPD to the BC Environmental Assessment Office (BC EAO) on July 4, 2025, that describes the changes to the project design based on our discussions with the Nations. 

Based on feedback received through engagement with First Nations, and in alignment with the direction provided in the Readiness Decision made by the B.C. 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 the Ktunaxa Nation Council and Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi ‘it.
• 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.

Other design aspects of the Project are in progress, including ongoing baseline studies about the environment and water. EVR will continue to be fully committed to being a proud steward of the land and resources we manage, including water under the Elk Valley Water Quality Plan.