Kearl Initial Development Project

In October 2008, KMC Mining, along with its Joint Venture Partner, Kiewit Management Co., commenced work on this site preparation and infrastructure development project together as K2 Mining for Imperial Oil Resources Ventures Limited (IORVL).

Throughout the life of the project, the K2 Mining Team successfully completed this significant scope of work, which involved clearing, organic stripping, site grading, haul road and access road construction, embankment of the West External Tailings Area (ETA) Dyke and Debris Dyke, and installation of the Central Plant Deep Undergrounds.
Significant quantities for this project included:

  • 3000 hectares of clearing and grubbing;
  • 5.4 million bank cubic meters (BCM) of muskeg stripping and stockpiling;
  • 13 million BCM of topsoil and subsoil salvage;
  • 21.5 million embanked cubic meters (ECM) of dyke embankment; and
  • Over 22,000 lineal meters of process and utility piping installation.

In total, the K2 Mining Team moved in excess of 74 million BCM of material in approximately three-and-a-half years.

This project included several important successes, including:

  • Completion of the Central Plant Deep Undergrounds ahead of schedule;
  • Providing constructability and pit planning services to IORVL for the re-design of the West ETA Starter Dyke;
  • Achieved quality specifications for all construction materials in the dyke;
  • Completion of the Dyke filling curve milestones well-ahead of schedule;
  • Working over 3 years and 7 million man-hours without a lost time incident;
  • Working over 1 year and 2.5 million man-hours without a medical treatment incident;
  • Awarded the Imperial Oil Western Canada Major Projects Award for Safety Excellence in 2009, 2010, and 2012.

Project Details

Location: Fort McMurray, Alberta

Service: Pre-Development; Mine Development

Completion Date: May 2012

Owner: Imperial Oil Resources Ventures Limited