The minister of energy and mines recently
approved the environmental assessment
for HD Mining International, the first
underground coal mine to get the go-ahead
in British Columbia, Canada, in more than
25 years. Minister Bill Bennett confirmed
during Ocotber that the company’s $688
million Murray River Coal project in the
northeastern region of the province outside
of Tumbler will progress. It will be British
Columbia’s first longwall. Murray River,
with a projected operating life of 25 years,
will produce about 4.8 million metric tons
(mt) annually. About 780 jobs will be created
by the new complex.
No exact timelines for the site’s development
were provided; however, with some
final permits still pending, HD Mining still
has about three years before work can
commence. In addition to environmental
pushback, HD Mining also took heavy criticism
for its plans at Murray River in 2012
when it said it was planning to bring in
temporary workers from China to help prepare
the complex.
As featured in Womp 2015 Vol 11 - www.womp-int.com