Industries
Coal is the region’s leading mineral resource product, and accounts for almost all of the coal produced in British Columbia. Exported to Asia for steel making and industrial purposes, the coal produced in the region is highly sought after metallurgical coal due to its low sulfur content and clean burning nature.
Teck Metals Ltd. Trail Operations is one of the world’s largest fully integrated zinc and lead smelting and refining complexes. It also produces a wide variety of precious and specialty metals, chemicals and fertilizer products. Teck Resources Ltd.’s Applied Research and Technology (ART) group is located in Trail, employing research engineers, scientists and management staff. Selkirk College offer trades and technical operations programs that support the mining and metallurgy sector.
A strong network of high-performing service businesses are linked to the region’s metallurgical sector, providing opportunities in engineering, environmental services, safety, construction, transportation, fabrication and recycling, and entrepreneurial opportunities to value-add and spin off manufacturing and technology businesses utilizing downstream non-core smelter by-products.
The Metallurgical Industrial Development Acceleration & Studies (MIDAS) centre is an applied research, commercialization and digital fabrication training facility in Trail focused on the metallurgical sector that exists in the region surrounding the Teck Trail Operations smelter. MIDAS makes recent advances in manufacturing technology and metallurgical applied science accessible to West Kootenay companies, entrepreneurs and students.
