Project Overview and Location
The Murray River Coal Project (Project) is an underground metallurgical coal mine. The Project holds the following major permits: Mines Act Permit C-244; Coal Lease (66232426); Environmental Management Act Permit 106666 (amended July 7, 2018); and Water Licences(500270 and 500409). It is anticipated that the mine will produce 6 million tonnes of metallurgical coal per year over 25 years of operation. Coal will be mined using longwall mining, a form of underground coal mining where coal is mined in large panels (typically 1 to 3 km long and 200 to 400 m wide). Longwall mining is designed to maximize extraction rates while maintaining worker safety. While this mining method is not currently used in Canada, this method has been used for many years at mines around the world.
The Project is located 12.5 km southwest of the town of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia (BC; Figure 1). The coordinates are E 112°54'03"-121°18'07", N 54°56'59"-55°09'59".
(Figure 1)
A 5-year construction phase is currently planned, and the mine will operate for 25 years. The closure phase is approximately three years and HD Mining has planned for a 6-year post-closure monitoring program (i.e., following the closure phase). The monitoring results will be used to assess reclamation success and whether certain aspects of the post-closure monitoring program can be shortened or extended.
There
(Figure 2)
Project Infrastructure
- underground mine;
- decline site;
- shaft site;
- coal processing site; and,
- secondary shaft site.
Major Project Components
- waste rock storage facilities;
- overburden and soil storage areas;
- explosive and soil storage areas;
- coal rejects storage areas;
- coal handling and preparation facilities;
- coal conveyor; and,
- rail load-out.
Key Benefits of Underground Mining
- Underground mining will produce limited waste rock, and the mine will have a small surface footprint compared to an open pit mine of equivalent production rate;
- Project infrastructure and disturbance will be limited to areas of low elevations (outside of core caribou habitat) and in areas of pre-existing disturbance;
- Roads and utilities infrastructure (e.g., power, natural gas, rail) already exist and minimal expansion of this infrastructure will be required to support the Project; and,
- Dewatering of flotation tailings will allow co-mingling of coarse and fine coal rejects in a single facility so there will be no subaqueous tailings storage, reducing closure liability.