The Canada Growth Fund (CGF) and the Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) plan to invest up to $400 million in Teck Resources’ Trail polymetallic smelter under the Canada Critical Minerals Accelerator fund to expand the production capacity for germanium, gallium, and antimony.
Trail is one of the world’s largest fully integrated polymetallic smelting and refining complexes, as it outputs 19 products and has a long history of critical minerals production, the company explained.
Under the equity-like strategic investment agreement, up to $400 million will be allocated directly to the facility, as part of an up to $850 million potential total investment by Teck. The Canadian government will also gain access to offtake rights for a portion of future germanium, antimony and gallium produced by Trail.
"Trail operations is a cornerstone of North America’s critical minerals ecosystem," said Teck CEO Jonathan Price. "Collaboration with CGF and the Canada Critical Minerals Accelerator will help advance the opportunity we have to quickly and significantly increase production capacity for key strategic metals and help strengthen secure, responsible supply chains."
Germanium, antimony, and gallium are essential inputs for a range of advanced technologies and national security applications, the company noted. Germanium is widely used in fibre optic systems, infrared optics, and semiconductor technologies; antimony is critical for flame retardants, batteries, and alloys; and gallium is a key material in high-performance semiconductors used in telecommunications, radar systems, and next-generation electronics.
Theodor Lisovoy, Managing Editor, Rough&Polished
