Grassy Mountain Coal Project

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Grassy Mountain Coal Project is a cancelled coal mine in Blairmore, Alberta, Canada.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Grassy Mountain Coal Project	Blairmore, Alberta, Canada	49.68924, -114.41896 (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
Cancelled	Pre-Permit	New	–	–

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
4	–	–	Surface	Open Pit	15	430	*

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
154	–	195	Crowsnest	Bituminous	Met	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Northback Holdings	Hancock Corp [100.0%]	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 Grassy Mountain Coal Project is an open-pit mine project proposed by Northback Holdings (previously Benga Mining Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Riversdale Resources Limited) due to produce 4.5 million tonnes per annum, near Blairmore, Alberta, Canada.

Northback Holdings (previously Benga Mining Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Riversdale Resources Limited) proposed to construct and operate Grassy Mountain Coal, an open-pit metallurgical coal mine near the Crowsnest Pass, approximately seven kilometres north of the community of Blairmore, in southwest Alberta. The production capacity of the project would have been a maximum of 4.5 million tonnes of clean coal per year, over a mine-life of about 25 years. Commercial production for public consumption was targeted to start in Q1 2022.

In June 2021, a review panel for the Alberta Energy Regulator denied the application for the project, stating it was not in the public interest. Benga Mining and Riversdale Resources planned to consult with legal counsel to review options moving forward, however, in August 2021, the Federal Government rejected the project as it was "likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects."

In September 2023, Northback Holdings resurrected a proposal for the Grassy Mountain mine, applying for three licenses from the Alberta Energy Regulator which would allow them to divert water, drill, and run a coal exploration program.

Although the long-controversial proposed coking coal mine had been on pause since the 2022 ban on coal exploration in the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains, the lifting of this moratorium in January 2025 could mean it will be reconsidered.

Also working in the project's favor is the fact that it has seen recent support from residents of Crowsnest Pass, who in late 2024, voted decisively in a non-binding vote in favor of the project.

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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.