TELUS recovers 4,600 tonnes of copper as it retires legacy lines in Alberta

TELUS says its $14 billion Alberta build will advance its environmental goals by retiring and recycling old copper.  

According to Telus, it has already recovered 4,600 tonnes of copper — copper which could feed back into Canada’s domestic supply chain at a time where demand for the metal is rising around the globe. 

“Over the past 26 years, Telus has laid 162,000 kilometres of fibre, which is enough to circle the Earth four times,” the company said in a news release. “TELUS has eliminated 9,300 tonnes of emissions — equal to removing nearly 2,000 cars from roads for a year.” This figure is attributed to Telus’ copper retirement program, which it says offsets the need to mine new copper sources.  

The project is moving forward in advancing wireless networks with at least 45 new towers and upgrading more than 400 sites across the province.  

Amid rising demand for secure AI infrastructure, the company says this copper retirement program is part of a broader effort to modernize its networks. Telus frames the Alberta build — with new wireless sites and expanded AI facilities — as groundwork it believes will help keep Canada competitive in both connectivity and AI.