I notice that Highland Valley is supposed to be mined until 2027, that is 12 years from this year.

I wonder if Teck could move some of the equipment and labour over from Highland Valley once it goes out of operations? If they timed it right Highland Valley would be winding down as SC could be expanding.

I'm fairly certain that the optimization studies are conducted independently of Teck's other operations but they must have some sort of pool of equipment that they have to either sell or make use of when a mine is closed. Also, the fact that labour is already trained and ready to work would be a definite asset.

There was something the FS that allowed for expansion of the original mill. It didn't need to be replaced so much as have another grinder (?) attached. They are modules not just one big thing.