IBEW Local 1003
The federal government will pay for nearly half of an $850-million expansion of the Teck Trail operation to increase its capacity to process critical minerals.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson made the announcement today at the smelter.
“Canada has what the world wants, and we are moving decisively to catalyze private investments, secure our supply chains, and get projects built faster so we can provide for ourselves and our global partners,” he said in a news release.
The full text of Hodgson’s speech can be found here.
The $400 million investment is the first outlay of cash under something called the Canada Critical Mineral Accelerator, introduced under a different name in the 2025 federal budget, which called for $2 billion over five years to encourage “economic sovereignty, national security, and the energy transition.”
The expansion could double Trail’s production capacity for germanium and antimony and potentially add gallium production capacity. It was first suggested when a proposed merger was announced last year between Teck and Anglo American. At the time, Teck said it would invest up to $750 million in the Trail operation. The merger has since been approved, but has not taken effect.
The agreement, which is subject to conditions and approvals, calls for an “equity-like investment” into the smelter and lets the government negotiate rights to a portion of the germanium, antimony, and gallium to be produced in Trail.
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