Highvale Coal Mine
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Highvale coal mine was a surface mine, operated by SunHills Mining LP, and owned by TransAlta, producing 8 million tonnes per annum near Lake Wabamun, west of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.[1]
As of December 2021, Highvale, which was Canada's largest strip mine, has ceased all operations due to the end of coal-fired generation at TransAlta's Keephills and Sundance power plants.[2]
Location
The map below shows the exact location of the mine site near Elkford, British Columbia, Canada.
Background
The Highvale mine was in operation from 1970 to 2021. It was one of three TransAlta-owned surface coal mines. It was also Canada’s largest surface strip coal mine, covering a total of 12,140 hectares.
A total of five pits were actively mined at Highvale (pits 03, 04, 05, 06 and 07). These surface coal mining operations involved removing rock layers to expose and extract coal reserves. As of May 2010 Highvale operated four draglines for this purpose. In May 2010, TransAlta applied to the Alberta Utilities Commission as well as Alberta Environment for approval to begin surface mining operations in Pit 08 at Highvale Mine, as the company claimed development of Pit 08 was essential to ensure a continuous supply of coal for the Keephills generating plant until 2020.[3]
The Highvale Mine transitioned from five active pits in 2017 to one active pit in 2020, and permanently ceased coal mining operations at the end of 2021.
According to TransAlta, a total of 13 million tonnes of low-sulphur-content thermal-grade coal were mined at Highvale annually and delivered to TransAlta’s Sundance and Keephills thermal generating plants. When the Keephills 3 thermal plant is completed, it will require an additional 1.8 millions tonnes each year to be mined at the site.
Since the mine's opening in 1970, TransAlta has reclaimed 1,310 hectares of the 4,362 hectares of land that have been mined at Highvale. The company states that it "reclaims land to a state that is equivalent to or better than it was before our mining activities, or restore it for other uses. When complete, the reclaimed land supports a variety of land uses such as agriculture, woodlands, wildlife habitat, recreation and wetlands."
Decommissioning and Reclamation
In December 2021, as a result of the end of coal-fired generation at TransAlta's Keephills and Sundance power plants, the Highvale Mine permanently ceased coal mining operations. Operations at the Highvale Mine shifted to full-time reclamation in January 2022, with plans to have the Highvale Mine fully reclaimed by 2046.[2]
Project Details
- Operator: SunHills Mining LP[1]
- Owner: TransAlta Corporation[1]
- Location: 70 km west of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada[1]
- GPS coordinates: 53.527572, -114.711063 (exact)
- Mine status: Retired[2]
- Start year: 1970
- Closure year: 2021
- Mineable reserves:
- Coal type: Sub-bituminous
- Mine size: 12,140 ha[1]
- Mine type: Surface
- Production: 8 million tons per annum [1]
- Equipment: Surface, open pit mining
- Number of employees:
Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 TransAlta,Highvale Mine, Company Website, accessed August 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Highvale Mine Decommissioning and Reclamation Plan, TransAlta, accessed June 2022.
- ↑ "Highvale" TransAlta Mine Page, accessed May 5, 2010.
