Greenhills Coal Mine
| This article is part of the Global Coal Mine Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor. |
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Greenhills Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Elkford, East Kootenay, British Columbia, Canada.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Greenhills Coal Mine | Elkford, British Columbia, Canada[1][2] | 50.20028, -115.0083 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Opening Year | Closing Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating[2] | – | 1981[3] | – |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6[4] | 6[5] | 2024[5] | Surface[6] | Open Pit[6] | 126[7] | 60* | 925[4] |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 180[4] | 2025[4] | 528.7[8] | – | Bituminous[9] | Met[10] | – |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Elk Valley Resources [100.0%][11] | Glencore [77%]; Nippon Steel Corp [20%]; POSCO [3%] | Canada, Japan, South Korea |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROM[12] | 6.2[12] | 6.1[12] | 6.1[12] | 4.91[12] | 5.4[12] | 6.3[13] | – | 6[5] | – |
Reported Methane Emissions Data
Global Energy Monitor collates facility-scale methane emissions data reported by government and company sources collected in a systematic fashion. This mine is associated with the following methane emissions reports:
Table 7: Methane emissions
| Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CO2 equivalent) | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CH4) | Year of Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes) Reference | Reference type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.092 | 588.636 | 2024 | [14] | national government data |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker August 2026 release.
Reported Methane Emissions Data
Global Energy Monitor collates facility-scale methane emissions data reported by government and company sources collected in a systematic fashion. This mine is associated with the following methane emissions reports:
Table 7: Methane emissions
| Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CO2 equivalent) | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CH4) | Year of Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes) Reference | Reference type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.092 | 588.636 | 2024 | [14] | national government data |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker May 2026 release.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
Greenhills coal mine is owned by Teck Coal near Elkford, British Columbia, Canada. The minesite is 11,806 hectares, of which approximately 2,265 hectares have been mined or are scheduled for mining. Greenhills is operated under a joint venture agreement among Teck, POSCO Canada Limited (“POSCAN”) and POSCAN’s parent, POSCO. Teck has an 80% interest in the joint venture while POSCAN has a 20% interest.
Coal mined at Greenhills is primarily steelmaking coal, with annual production capacities of 4.5 million tons. Proven and probable reserves at Greenhills are projected to support mining at 2010 production rates for a further 28 years.[15]
- Owner: Teck Coal
- Parent company: Teck (80%), POSCO Canada Limited (“POSCAN”) and POSCAN’s parent, POSCO (20%).[15]
- Location: Elkford, British Columbia, Canada
- GPS coordinates: 50.20028,-115.0083 (exact)
- Mine status: Operating[15]
- Start year:
- Mineable reserves:179.5 million tonnes[16]
- Coal type:
- Mine size: 11,806 ha
- Mine type: Surface
- Production: 5.4 million tons per annum [15] ; 4.8 million tonnes (2021)[17]
- Equipment: surface, open pit mining
- Number of employees: 600
Coal Mine Boundaries and Methane Sources
Global Energy Monitor researchers have identified coal mine boundary/boundaries and potential sources of coal mine methane (CMM) for this mine. These research results can be used to drive CMM attribution and mitigation efforts, particularly when combined with remotely sensed methane plume locations and mine ownership data. Explore the results with the embedded map at the top of this page by clicking on the mine boundary polygon or the CMM placemarkers to reveal more details. A detailed description of this research can be found in Coal Mine Boundaries and Methane Sources. This data is also available as a downloadable companion dataset to the Global Coal Mine Tracker and the Global Methane Emitters Tracker.
Table SMP1: Coal mine boundaries and methane sources data
| ID | Mine feature category | Mine feature subcategory | Description | Coordinates precision | Data source date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M0146.B1 | mine boundary | surface | Greenhills Coal Mine permit boundary | extracted | 2022-12-31 00:00:00 |
| M0146.P1 | other | preparation plant | Coal wash plant at Greenhills Coal Mine | extracted | September 27 2024 (satellite imagery) |
Table SMP2: Coal mine boundaries and methane sources data (continued)
| ID | Notes |
|---|---|
| M0146.B1 | The boundary was extracted from the Greenhills permit area shown in Figure 10-1: Drill Collar Location Plan on pg. 10-4 of the NI 43-101 Technical Report on Greenhills Coal Operation, https://web.archive.org/web/20240812193327/https://minedocs.com/24/Greenhills_TR_12312022.pdf, December 31, 2022. The boundary has been simplified by excluding small permitted areas peripheral to the main polygon and small inner boundaries within the main polygon. A portion of the northern permit boundary overlaps with the Fording River Operations coal mine permit boundary, owned by the same company. Page 4-2 states "Fording River Operations currently maintain the overlapping mineral tenure holdings as there is no mechanism within the Coal Act to subdivide the shared mineral tenure holdings"; therefore, this overlapping area is excluded from the Greenhills permit boundary here. The approximate boundary area is 36 sq km. |
| M0146.P1 | The coal wash plant location was extracted from Figure 10-1: Drill Collar Location Plan on pg. 10-4 of the NI 43-101 Technical Report on Greenhills Coal Operation, https://web.archive.org/web/20240812193327/https://minedocs.com/24/Greenhills_TR_12312022.pdf, December 31, 2022, and visually confirmed with Google Earth Pro satellite imagery. |
Methane Plumes Detected Nearby
Global Energy Monitor researchers analyze satellite-detected methane plumes in order to determine whether they have been observed at or near the site of GEM energy assets. The satellite data provider creates imagery of individual methane plumes and estimates their emission rates at the time of observation. GEM has reviewed many of these plume detections against Google Earth imagery and GEM’s own energy infrastructure tracker data. The following table lists methane plumes which are associated with the energy asset or facility based on distance and manual review. (A full description of the analysis process is available in the Global Methane Emitters Tracker methodology wiki page.)
Table M1: Plume details
| Observation date | Satellite data provider | Location of plume origin | Methane emissions rate | Additional plume information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-09-02T19:35:54+00 | CarbonMapper, ang20220902t193554-H | 50.11977, -114.88[18] | 150.3116 kg/hr[18] | British Columbia Province Methane Observation 2022-09-02, 10 |
| 2022-09-02T19:35:54+00 | CarbonMapper, ang20220902t193554-G | 50.12369, -114.884[18] | 106.134 kg/hr[18] | British Columbia Province Methane Observation 2022-09-02, 11 |
| 2022-09-03T18:43:12+00 | CarbonMapper, ang20220903t184312-A | 50.11934, -114.88[18] | 225.235 kg/hr[18] | British Columbia Province Methane Observation 2022-09-03, 21 |
| 2022-09-03T19:04:13+00 | CarbonMapper, ang20220903t190413-A | 50.15612, -114.902[18] | 346.691 kg/hr[18] | British Columbia Province Methane Observation 2022-09-03, 3 |
| 2022-09-03T19:10:32+00 | CarbonMapper, ang20220903t191032-A | 50.15575, -114.903[18] | 205.8173 kg/hr[18] | British Columbia Province Methane Observation 2022-09-03, 6 |
| 2022-09-06T19:20:17+00 | CarbonMapper, ang20220906t192017-A | 50.11872, -114.88[18] | 376.9755 kg/hr[18] | British Columbia Province Methane Observation 2022-09-06, 18 |
| 2022-09-06T20:59:37+00 | CarbonMapper, ang20220906t205937-A | 50.11906, -114.881[18] | 490.9958 kg/hr[18] | British Columbia Province Methane Observation 2022-09-06, 19 |
Articles and Resources
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.
References
- ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240121032219/https://www.teck.com/media/2021-2022-Elk-Valley-Access-Maps.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240121004818/https://www.teck.com/operations/canada/operations/greenhills/. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://wildsight.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-03-18-Teck-Coal-Final-Report_Reduced.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 (PDF) https://www.glencore.com/.rest/api/v1/documents/static/67667885-bc3e-482d-afe6-8e2ccdd48fd0/GLEN+EVR+Site+Visit+Presentation+-+3+EVR+Overview.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 (PDF) https://www.glencore.com/.rest/api/v1/documents/static/a17cc44b-7947-4169-9b6b-b882403fb42b/GLENCORE-Resources-and-Reserves-report-2025.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240125054415/https://www.teck.com/media/2023-AIF.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-01-25.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://cmscontent.nrs.gov.bc.ca/geoscience/publicationcatalogue/InformationCircular/BCGS_IC2025-01-05.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240606043042/https://www.teck.com/media/2024-AIF.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-06-06. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://cmscontent.nrs.gov.bc.ca/geoscience/publicationcatalogue/InformationCircular/BCGS_IC2024-01-05.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.teck.com/operations/canada/operations/greenhills/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.glencore.ca/en/evr/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 https://minfile.gov.bc.ca/report.aspx?f=PDF&r=Production_Detail.rpt&minfilno=082JSE007.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://cmscontent.nrs.gov.bc.ca/geoscience/PublicationCatalogue/InformationCircular/BCGS_IC2023-01.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 14.0 14.1 https://climate-change.canada.ca/facility-emissions/?GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 "Greenhills", Teck Coal website, accessed August 2020.
- ↑ Greenhills Mine, Mining Data Solutions, accessed August 2020
- ↑ Canada: Five Largest Surface Coal Mines in 2021, Global Data, accessed December 2022
- ↑ 18.00 18.01 18.02 18.03 18.04 18.05 18.06 18.07 18.08 18.09 18.10 18.11 18.12 18.13 url=https://data.carbonmapper.org/
