Chinook Coal Project

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Chinook Coal Project is a shelved coal mine in Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, Canada.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Chinook Coal Project	Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, Canada	49.56884, -114.690198 (approximate)

The map below shows the approximate location of the coal mine:

Loading map...

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Project Type	Opening Year	Closing Year
Shelved	Exploration	New	2027 (planned)	–

Table 3: Operation details

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.

Capacity (Mtpa)	Production (Mtpa)	Year of Production	Mine Type	Mining Method	Mine Size (km2)	Mine Depth (m)	Workforce Size
–	–	–	Surface	Open Pit	100	300	*

Table 4: Coal resources and destination

Total Reserves (Mt)	Year of Total Reserves Recorded	Total Resources (Mt)	Coalfield	Coal Type	Coal Grade	Primary Consumer/ Destination
–	–	172	–	Bituminous	Met	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Evolve Power Ltd	Evolve Power Ltd [100%]	Australia

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker April 2024 release and the September supplement.

Background

The Chinook Coal Project is a proposed mine in Alberta, Canada.

As of June 2023, project owner, Evolve Power, reports that the project has been shelved, due to the government of Alberta's moratorium on coal exploration and development. The project is owned by Evolve Power (formerly known as Montem Resources Limited) in the Crowsnest Pass of southwest Alberta.

In 2021, Montem completed a positive Scoping Study to guide the strategic development of the Chinook Project.

Project Cancellation

In 2023, the Government of Alberta , essentially cancelling the Chinook coal project.

As stated in their 2023 half year report, Evolve stated the following in response:

Due to a government of Alberta imposed moratorium on coal exploration and development that covers Evolve Power’s other coal assets in the Crowsnest Pass (Evolve Power Properties), Evolve Power has moved away from its original aim to develop its steelmaking coal assets in the Crowsnest Pass. The Consolidated Entity is in the process of exiting its coal business and has ceased all coal development activities. As the Consolidated Entity exits the coal business, certain assets and activities will remain until the exit is complete.

Litigation

In February 2023, Evolve filed a legal claim against the Government of Alberta to recover damages in the amount of $1.76 billion "arising from the constructive taking of Evolve Power's freehold mineral rights and coal leases at the Chinook Project." A trial date of April 2025 has been set.

Alberta's government actually lifted the coal mining moratorium on new coal exploration and development in the eastern slopes of Canada's Rocky Mountains in January 2025. It is unclear whether or not Evolve will restart exploration.

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Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.