Poplar River Coal Mine
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Poplar River Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Coronach, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Poplar River Coal Mine | Coronach, Saskatchewan, Canada[1] | 49.2127113, -105.4714202 (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[1] | – | 1978[1] | 2029 (planned)[1] |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.4[2] | 2.74[3] | 2023[3] | Surface[4] | Strip[4] | 74.88[1] | 50* | 140[5] |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | – | – | – | Lignite[1] | Thermal[1] | Coal Plant[4] |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Prairie Mines and Royalty LLC [100.0%][6] | Westmoreland Mining LLC | USA |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saleable | 3.85[7] | – | 3.3[7] | – | – | 3.07[8] | 2.74*[3] | – | – |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.16 | 13.28 | 2024 | [9] | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.16 | 13.28 | 2024 | [9] | 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
Poplar River mine is a surface strip mine operated by Westmoreland Mining LLC and located in Coronach, Saskatchewan.[10] The Poplar River Mine is a 7,488 Ha. surface strip mine located in South Central Saskatchewan near the Town of Coronach. The mine operates two active pits and supplies lignite coal to the two generating units at the Poplar River Generating Station which is owned and operated by Saskatchewan Power Corporation. The mine has been supplying coal to the station since 1978.
Coal is uncovered using two draglines (2 – BE 2570W). The exposed coal is hauled from the pits to a loadout and then railed 20 kilometres to the generating station. Current annual production of the mine is 2.3 to 3.4 million tonnes. The current coal supply contract for the mine expires in 2029.[11]
Poplar River Mine owns and operates the railway from the mine to the generating station. Work is underway to extend the existing coal contract for a 10 year period.[10]
- Operator: Westmoreland Coal
- Owner: Westmoreland Mining LLC
- Location: Coronach, Saskatchewan, Canada
- GPS coordinates: 49.2127113,-105.4714202 (exact)
- Mine status: Operating
- Start year: 1978
- Mineable reserves: 45 million tonnes
- Coal type: Lignite
- Mine size: 7,488 Ha
- Mine type: Surface
- Production: Up to 3.4 million tonnes per annum[11]
- Equipment: Dragline
- Number of employees: 167
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 https://www.poplarrivermine.com/about-us.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20260707055648/https://mineraldeposits.saskatchewan.ca/Home/Viewdetails/2767. Archived from the original on 07 July 2026.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 (PDF) https://ijc.org/sites/default/files/Poplar%20River%20Annual%20Report%20for%202023%20Final-Revised.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 https://www.poplarrivermine.com/how-we-mine.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.cim.org/past-award-winners/westmoreland-mining-poplar-river-mine/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://westmoreland.com/poplar-river-mine-2/v.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://miningdataonline.com/property/457/Poplar-River-Mine.aspx.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://ijc.org/sites/default/files/Poplar%20River%20Annual%20Report%20for%202022_Final.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 https://climate-change.canada.ca/facility-emissions/?GoCTemplateCulture=en-CA.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 Poplar River Mine – Saskatchewan, Westmoreland Mining LLC, accessed October 2020
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 About Us, Poplar River Mine website, accessed June 2022.
