Coal mining in Canada

Abstract

The current Canadian coal production is approximately 43 x 10? tonnes per annum. Two-thirds of this output is classified as thermal coal and one-third as coking or metallurgical coal. The three western provinces produce 92 percent of the total, the remainder is produced by the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on the eastern coast of Canada. The geological conditions in the western coalfields are markedly different from those in eastern Canada. The bulk of the coal in the western provinces is mined by surface mining methods whereas in eastern Canada underground mining predominates. This paper provides an overview of the Canadian coal mining, reviewing the general state of the industry with emphasis on current and projected mining techniques.