

British Columbia
Our BC Works operation, in Kitimat, British Columbia, comprises a newly modernised aluminium smelter and the Kemano Powerhouse, a hydropower facility supplied by the Nechako reservoir. From Canada’s west coast, we transport our products by ship and rail, primarily to customers in Japan, South Korea and the United States.
With a total contribution of over C$842 million to the British Columbia economy in 2019, we are one of the single largest contributors to the province’s manufacturing GDP.
In 2019, BC Works was certified by the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) for producing aluminium to the highest internationally recognised standard for responsible environmental, social and governance practices.
Investing in the future
When BC Works opened in 1954, it was the world’s largest smelter powered by hydroelectricity. Today, following a C$6 billion investment to modernise the smelter, the aluminium we produce here has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world. The upgrade, completed in 2016, included installing smelting equipment that uses our state-of-the-art AP Technology, making BC Works not only more efficient and commercially competitive but also cleaner: we now produce twice as much aluminium as we did previously, with half the greenhouse gas emissions.
Benefits of the modernised smelter, one of the largest private construction projects in British Columbia’s history, include:
- energy efficiency
- leading-edge digital monitoring and computer control systems
- revolutionary efficiency and performance in dry scrubbing (cleaning) systems
- high levels of material recovery to maximise raw material yield and recycling opportunities
Our Kemano Powerhouse receives water from the Nechako Reservoir via a single tunnel that is more than 65 years old, and is even today the largest high-pressure hydropower generation facility in North America. In 2017, we announced an investment of C$600 million in a second tunnel at Kemano to ensure that the power to our smelter remains secure and sustainable.
A tunnel boring machine, named tl’ughus by the Cheslatta Carrier Nation after a legendary giant monster snake, cut 7.6 kilometres through the rock in remote mountains over 30 months, completing the route for a 16 kilometre tunnel that was started in the early 1990s. The project is expected to be complete in the second half of 2022.
Environment
In 1999, BC Works became the first industrial facility in British Columbia to obtain what is called a “multi-media environmental permit” from the provincial government. This permit sets standards of operation and requires annual reporting on a variety of performance measures: air emissions, ambient air quality, effluents, groundwater, vegetation and waste management. The yearly performance of the smelter is published in our operation’s Annual Environmental Report.
We are focused on minimising the impacts of our operation on the environment. Our Environmental Effects Monitoring (EEM) programme, which is based on an Adaptive Management Approach that commits us to extensive monitoring, regular reporting and taking measurable actions, as needed, monitors and reports on sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from our smelter.
We also host a consultation community group, the Kitimat Public Advisory Committee (KPAC), which meets on a quarterly basis and reviews BC Works’ environmental performance and business operations.
In 2019, we partnered with the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) to establish the NSERC/Rio Tinto Senior Industrial Research Chair in Climate Change and Water Security, advancing research programmes in the region and providing first-hand learning opportunities for students. We are also a founding member of the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative, which researches and monitors the endangered White Sturgeon, aiming to stabilise the remaining population and prevent further declines, with the ultimate goal of rebuilding a self-sustaining population.
Latest BC Works releases
Rio Tinto completes Kemano hydropower project
KITIMAT, Canada – Rio Tinto has commissioned a second tunnel to carry water into the Kemano Powerhouse in British Columbia, marking the end of the Kemano T2 hydropower project. The new, 16-kilometre tunnel was filled up with water and produced its first megawatt of electricity in July 2022 after its construction was completed in May 2022. Both T1 and T2 are now operating together, ensuring the lon
Rio Tinto and LNG Canada open new wharf in port of Kitimat
KITIMAT, Canada – Rio Tinto and LNG Canada today opened a newly extended wharf that will increase the capacity of Rio Tinto’s port facilities in Kitimat and support economic diversification in Northern British Columbia. The new wharf was built for Rio Tinto at its existing Terminal A facility by LNG Canada. It will replace a wharf and land leased to LNG Canada in 2018 for use to start exporting li
Tunnel boring machine breaks through in Kemano hydropower project milestone
KITIMAT, Canada – In a major milestone for Rio Tinto’s Kemano T2 hydropower project in British Columbia, the tunnel boring machine has broken through to complete its journey. The Kemano T2 Project is completing a second tunnel to carry water into the Kemano Powerhouse, to ensure the long-term reliability of the power supply for Rio Tinto’s BC Works smelter in Kitimat. The tunnel boring machine cut
Contact BC Works
Kitimat Community Office
PO Box 1800
1 Smeltersite Road
Kitimat BC V8C 2H2, Canada
E: BC Works Enquiries
T: +1 250 639 8383
Burns Lake Office
PO Box 936
Unit 3B, 321 Highway
16 Evergreen Mall BC VOJ 1E0
Canada
E: Nechako Reservoir Enquiries
T: +1 250 692 9618
Vanderhoof Office
PO Box 25
158 Stewart Street
Vanderhoof BC V0J 3A0, Canada
E: Nechako Reservoir Enquiries
T: +1 250 692 9618
Warehouse
T: +1 250 639 8601
T: +1 250 639 8446
Plant Protection
+1 250 639 8273