Donkin Coal Mine

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Donkin Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Donkin, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Donkin Coal Mine	Donkin, Nova Scotia, Canada	46.1782285, -59.824882 (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	Opening Year	Closing Year
Operating	–	2017	–

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
3.6	–	–	Underground	–	–	600	1446*

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
–	–	481	–	Bituminous	Thermal & Met	–

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Kameron Collieries ULC	The Cline Group	Canada, USA

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the GEM April 2024 Global Coal Mine Tracker dataset.

Background

Donkin Coal Mine is an underground mine in Donkin, Nova Scotia, Canada. 

Following a series of roof fall-ins, Donkin was put on care and maintenance in July 2023. However, four months later, it was allowed to reopen under the stipulation that it meet additional hazard monitoring requirements. Donkin Mine is owned and operated by Kameron Collieries ULC (also known as Kameron Coal), a subsidiary of the U.S.-based coal producer, the Cline Group LLC. Previously, the mine was a joint-venture project between Glencore (75%) and Morien Resources Corp. (25%); however, Cline became the mine's new owner in 2014, when its majority holder, Glencore, sold its 75% stake in the asset. Morien Resources currently has a royalty on coal production from the mine (they earn 2% on the revenue from the first 500,000 tonnes of coal sales per calendar quarter, and 4% on the revenue from any coal sales from quarterly tonnage above 500,000 tonnes).

When the mine started production in February 2017, it was the first underground coal mine to operate in Nova Scotia since 2001.

According to Morien, much of the coal produced is sold to Asian markets, but some of it could find a home in Atlantic Canada for power generation.

In March 2020, the mine was put on care and maintenance due to a roof fall-in during the month prior. The mine restarted operations in fall 2022.

In July 2023, Nova Scotia's Department of Labor issued a stop-work order following two roof collapses in as many weeks. They state that production will remain paused until a third party consultant, which is currently investigating the incidents and the repairs made by Kameron Coal, has completed its assessment; no estimate on a reopening date was given. Donkin Mine has reportedly experienced over thirty roof fall-ins since opening in 2017.

In November 2023, Donkin received regulatory approval to reopen under the conditions that it updates its hazard assessment in the access tunnels and add further monitoring measures to detect movement in the roof and prevent potential falls. In able to remain operating, the mine must also get a third-party review of its ground control management plan done by February 29, 2024.

• Operator: Kameron Collieries ULC
• Owner: Kameron Collieries ULC
• Location: Donkin, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada
• Coordinates: 46.1782285,-59.824882 (Exact)
• Status: Operating
• Production: 3.6 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa)
• Total Resource: 481 million tonnes (2017)
• Mineable Reserves:
• Coal Type: Coking coal (Thermal & Metallurgical)
• Mine Type: Underground
• Start Year: 2017
• Source of Financing:

Environmental Issues

According to Canada's CBC News, Donkin's underground coal mine has exceeded Nova Scotia's cap for greenhouse gas emitters nearly every year since it opened in 2017. Despite this, Cline Group has never participated in the province's cap-and-trade program since underground coal mines are exempt from federal cap-and-trade rules.

In its first year of operation, the mine exceeded the cap of 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, producing 76,337 tonnes of greenhouse gases, according to provincial quantification, reporting and verification data. CBC News also reports that even during the 2-year period when the Donkin mine was on care-and-maintenance, it continued to produce gases exceeding the 50,000-tonne cap, according to the Sierra Club of Canada.

The fact that the mine has two tunnels that progress down under the Atlantic Ocean is also cause for concern, say environmentalists.

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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.