Industrial

Resource Development

Development of forestry and mining resources across northern B.C. often requires construction of access roads and plant facilities across areas of difficult and unstable terrain.  We have worked with the B.C. Ministry of Forests, all of the major forest companies and mining companies operating in the north half of the province to carry out overview and detailed terrain stability assessments of proposed roads, and have carried out investigations and provided recommendations to stabilize landslides and erosion features.  Our work in the forest industry has included assessments of terrain stability conditions as they relate to cut blocks and stream crossings, and we've developed field assessment tools for forestry workers.  In addition to access investigations, we have carried out overview and detailed geotechnical assessments for siting mine plant facilities.

Pulp & Paper

Following their construction in the 1960s and 70s, we have provided geotechnical engineering and material testing services for many additions and upgrades to pulp and paper mills in northern B.C.  The work has included ground investigations and analysis of bearing capacity and settlement for large tanks, heavy industrial equipment, and, in recent years, steam turbine generators used to produce electrical power.  Our work has included evaluation of ground conditions for dynamic (vibration) analysis and thermal monitoring of mass concrete pours.

Mining

Northern B.C. has rich deposits of coal, molybdenum, copper and gold.  Our firm has provided recommendations for ground preparation and design of foundations for mine process facilities, overland conveyors, truck shops, and administration offices at Brule and Pine Valley coal mines, the Endako molybdenum mine and the Mt. Milligan gold and copper mine.  We have designed large retaining walls for grade separation at ore stockpiles and for crusher pockets.  We also provided testing services for expansions at the Gibraltor Mine.  Our work has included assessment and design of facilities on soft normally consolidated glacial lake sediments, glacial till, rock and thick deposits of mine waste, which were consolidated using dynamic compaction methods.

Power

Our firm has provided engineering and testing services to the wind, biomass and run-of-river power generation industry.  We carried out all phases of the geotechnical and geological assessments for the 102 MW Bear Mountain Wind Park near Dawson Creek, B.C., the first fully operational wind power project in B.C.  Our work included feasibility and environment assessments, preliminary and detailed investigations and designs, and construction review.  We have also participated with geological assessments to confirm the feasibility of several other promising, proposed wind power proposals. 

We provided geotechnical recommendations for the design and construction of over 100 MW of electrical power generation through the use of biomass, produced using bark, sawdust and trim-ends, materials considered a waste byproduct of the forestry industry not that long ago, as well as from excess steam produced through pulp mill processes.  These developments have included steam turbine generators at Canfor pulp mills and organic Rankine cycle energy systems at Fraser Lake Sawmills.  We also assisted with the design and construction of wood pellet plants, and pellet storage and shipping facilities.   

Oil & Gas

GeoNorth Engineering has carried out geotechnical evaluations of several proposed pipeline alignments and completed geotechnical investigations and recommendations for design of gas processing facilities in the Peace Region of northeast B.C.  We have also provided concrete and field density testing services on pipeline and process plant upgrades across the northeast, central and Cariboo Regions.