Cheviot Mine
| This article is part of the Global Coal Mine Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor and the Center for Media and Democracy. |
| Sub-articles: |
The Cheviot Mine (Cardinal River), a metallurgical coal mine, is wholly owned by Teck Resources and is located in west central Alberta.
Contents
Location
The satellite photograph below shows the location of the mine in Mountain Park, Alberta, Canada.
Background
The Cheviot Mine was first proposed in 1996 and reviewed by federal-provincial hearings in 1997 and 2000, but was not developed due its poor economics and public opposition. In 1997, Ottawa papers reported that the federal government had delayed their decision on Cheviot while they "worked on a strategy to sell the controversial project to the public." Canada Mining Watch are concerned that the mine would irreparably harm a World Heritage Site, silence springs at Mountain Park, and destroy prime grizzly bear habitat in Alberta. Despite the parent companies' April 2003 announcement that they wouldn't be going ahead with Cheviot, they later proceeded with plans for a different mine project. Rather than the self-contained mine that was previously reviewed by a federal-provincial panel, they are pushing ahead with developing Cheviot as a satellite of their Luscar Mine located 22 kms to the north.[1]
Despite opposition, the Cheviot coal mine opened in 2005, next to Jasper National Park. Owner Teck Coal will be digging up an estimated 3 million tonnes of coal per year for about 20 years. Coal is trucked to the Luscar mine site where it is cleaned and loaded onto railway cars for export to Asian steel mills, using Westshore Terminals in British Columbia.[2][3]
Mine Expansion
Teck Resources Ltd. plans to expand its Cheviot Mine over the Cardinal Divide — a wide alpine ridge separating two major watersheds — to Redcap Mountain, just east of Jasper National Park, Alta. The expansion threatens the drinking water supply of the Mountain Cree-Smallboy Camp, where about 140 Indigenous people have been practicing and maintaining their traditional spirituality, language and culture for the past half-century. Expanding across this divide extends the risks of selenium and nitrate contamination to the headwaters of the Cardinal River, a glacier-fed tributary to the Brazeau and North Saskatchewan Rivers. The company’s proposal for the expansion is currently under review by the Alberta Energy Regulator. In May 2018, Teck applied for permits to create five new open pits and three external mine dumps within the Cheviot area. These permits are currently under review by the Alberta Energy Regulator. Teck plans to start mining later in 2019 if the permits are approved.[4] The expansion has the potential for 1.8 million tonnes of steelmaking coal production per year and has the potential to extend Cardinal River Operations for approximately eight years beyond the planned closure in 2020.[5]
Project Details
- Owner: Teck Resources Ltd
- Parent company:
- Location: Mountain Park, Alberta, Canada
- GPS coordinates: 55.0608535,-121.2530692 (exact)
- Mine status: Operating
- Start year: 2004
- Mineable reserves: 16,700 tons[5]
- Coal type:
- Mine size:
- Mine type: Surface
- Production: 2 million tons per year
- Additional proposed production:
- Equipment: Open pit Mining
- Number of employees:
Project Expansion Details
- Status: Proposed
- Production Capacity: 1.8 million tons per year
- Mine expansion size:
- Start Year: 2019
- Source of Financing:
Resources
References
- ↑ "BACKGROUNDER: Cheviot Mine" MiningWatch Canada, April 14, 2004.
- ↑ "Cheviot coal mine" Wikimapia, accessed May 2011.
- ↑ "Westshore Terminals: The Mines" Westshore Terminals Website, accessed April 2011.
- ↑ Just outside Jasper National Park, a coal mine threatens an Indigenous community’s water supply, The Narwhal, Mar 1, 2019.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 (metallurgical coal), Altius, accessed October 2019.
Related SourceWatch articles
External resources
"Coal phase out," Wikipedia
