Proposed Project Design
Commodity
- Copper: is an essential metal for everyday life and increasingly important for the global transition to low carbon future. Copper is listed as a Critical Mineral under the Canadian and British Columbia Critical Minerals strategies.
Location
- Located approximately 150 km northeast of Kamloops near the community of Vavenby.
- The Project is primarily in Simpcwú̓lecw, the territory of Simpcw First Nation.
Jobs
- Project construction will create 3,030 direct and 8,815 total (direct, indirect and induced) jobs over a period of approximately 2 to 3 years.
- During its 25-year operations phase, Yellowhead will support 525 direct and 3,305 total (direct, indirect and induced) jobs annually.
Project Site
- Open-pit mine.
- 25-year mine life.
- Production capacity of 90,000 tonnes of ore per day.
- Support infrastructure will include power distribution, roads, waste rock and overburden storage, concentrator, tailings storage, water management, maintenance and administration facilities.
Site Access
- Primary Access Route: Via Vavenby, continuing along ~20 km of existing forest service roads.
- Secondary Access Route (Oversized/Heavy Loads): Via Birch Island Lost Creek Road, continuing along ~20 km of existing forest service roads.
Concentrate Transport
- Truck: from the Project site to a new rail load-out facility at an existing site near Vavenby.
- Rail: from the rail load-out facility to the Port of Vancouver or other North American markets.
- Ship: from the Port of Vancouver to customers overseas.
Transmission Line
- Approximately 110-kilometre-long, 230-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line from the Yellowhead Project site to an existing BC Hydro substation at 100 Mile House.
- As a dedicated transmission line, there will be no change to the way power is delivered to local communities today.
Status
- Yellowhead entered the Simpcw Assessment Process in 2024. The Project is currently in Step 3 of a 6-step review process, led by Simpcw First Nation.
- The Yellowhead Project entered the BC Environmental Assessment (EA) process and the federal Impact Assessment (IA) processes in July 2025. The Project is in the early phases of multi-phase assessment process.
Project Next Steps
The Project is undergoing the Simpcw Assessment Process led by Simpcw First Nation. In parallel, the Project is undergoing an Environmental Assessment Process administered by the BC Environmental Assessment Office and Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. Following assessment decisions, additional permits, licenses and approvals will be required to construct and operate the Project.
Several Provincial and Federal regulatory agencies will be involved in the assessment and permitting processes for the Project.