Vista Coal Mine

This article is part of the Global Coal Mine Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

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Vista Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Hinton, Alberta, Canada.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Vista Coal Mine	Hinton, Alberta, Canada	53.3961117, -117.6478052 (exact)

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

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Project Phase	Opening Year	Closing Year
Operating	–	Phase I	2019	–

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
–	6.95	2022	Surface	Open Pit	99.84	60*	510

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
–	–	1322	Obed Mountain	Bituminous	Thermal	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Coalspur Mines Ltd	VE Holdings LLC [100.0%]	Canada

Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
ROM	–	–	1	4	4	5	5

Expansion/Extension

Table 6: Project status

* Added capacity of a coal mine refers to the enhancement in the mine's production capabilities beyond its initial production capacity.

Status	Status Detail	Project Type	Project Phase	Added Capacity (Mtpa)*	Start Year
Proposed	Pre-Permit	Expansion	Phase II	–	–
Proposed	Pre-Permit	Expansion	Phase II	4	–

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

Vista coal mine is an open-pit mine operated by Coalspur Mines Limited,near Hinton, Alberta, Canada.

Coalspur proposed the Vista Mine Phase II Expansion project, which would expand the mine's current coal production by an additional 4.2 million tonnes per annum. The Vista Coal Mine began operations in 2019. However, two years later, as the result of a series of unfortunate events (including the death of Chris Cline, a billionaire behind the project, who was killed in a helicopter crash), the mine was put on "care and maintenance" and found itself on the brink of bankruptcy. The mine was forced to enter creditor protection in 2021. But as a result of creditor protection proceedings and striking a deal to pay most creditors 75 percent of what they were owed, the mine is now back in operation.

The project is estimated to have a mine life of 30 years. The mine is scheduled to be developed through open pit methods in two phases. The Alberta Energy Regulator granted approval for the project in February 2014 paving the way for finalizing the detailed regulatory permits and licenses in 2014. However, this timing coincided with a downturn in global thermal coal prices. The Vista Coal Mine is now owned by Bighorn Mining Ltd.

The operation is a truck and shovel mine expected to produce 1.5 Mt in 2019, with 5.5 in 2020, ramping up to 7.0 Mt by 2021. The capacity is expandable up to 12 million tons per year in the second phase. The second phase is planned to be funded through the cash flows generated from the first phase. Approvals for phase 2 are still needed. The second phase is expected to begin to 2021.

Currently, Coalspur is in the public consultation process for phase 2 in which they are seeking feedback from landowners, trappers, communities, stakeholders, and indigenous groups on the reports and plans, thus the open houses. Coalspur plans to submit the required report under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act to the Alberta Energy Regulator at the beginning of 2020.

• Owner: Coalspur Mines Limited
• Parent company: Bighorn Mining
• Location: Hinton, Alberta, Canada
• GPS coordinates: 53.3961117,-117.6478052 (approximate)
• Mine status: Operating
• Start year: 2019
• Mineable reserves: 313 million tons
• Total reserves:1517 million tons
• Coal type: Thermal
• Mine size: 9,984 ha
• Mine type: Surface
• Production: 5.3 million tons per year
• Equipment: Open pit
• Number of employees: 350

Proposed Expansion

In 2020, Coalspur Mines proposed to expand the existing Vista Coal Mine. The operation would extract and export thermal coal to international markets. The proposal includes two expansions: an underground coal mine (Vista Coal Underground Mine) and a westward expansion of the Phase I mine pits (Vista Mine Phase II Expansion). The expansions would use existing Phase I mine infrastructure, such as coal processing facilities, raw and clean coal conveyors, primary access corridor, and a coal load-out facility.

At the G7 meeting in June 2021, Canada's then-Environment Minister, Jonathan Wilkinson, announced that the government would "no longer approve thermal-coal mining projects because of their contribution to the climate crisis." As a result, the expansion project appeared to be cancelled, but in October 2021, the project continued with an impact assessment.

Keepers of the Water, a coalition of First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and environmental groups formed in 2006, planned to attend the COP 27 climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt to raise awareness of the potential expansion of the Vista coal mine.

Project Expansion Details

• Status: Proposed (impact assessment)
• Production Capacity: 4.2 million tons per year
• Mine expansion size:
• Start Year: 2021
• Source of Financing: Cash flows generated from the first phase

Articles and Resources

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.