British Columbia Coal Industry Overview 2020 Information Circular 2021-02 Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation Mines, Competitiveness, and Authorizations Division British Columbia Geological Survey Front Cover: PCI coal (pulverized coal injection) being mined at Brule mine, Peace River coalfi eld, northeastern British Columbia. Photo by Dave Thompson used with permission of Conuma Coal Resources Limited. Back Cover: Remnant of ‘upper seam’, South pit, Brule mine, Peace River coalfi eld, northeastern British Columbia. Photo by Paul Jago. This publication is available, free of charge, from the British Columbia Geological Survey website: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/mineral-exploration-mining/british-columbia-geological- survey/publications Victoria British Columbia Canada January 2021 i British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, British Columbia Geological Survey Information Circular 2021-02 British Columbia coal industry overview 2020 British Columbia Geological Survey Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation Introduction molybdenum 0.7% silver 0.5% Metallurgical coal prices fl uctuated markedly in 2020. aggregate 4.6% zinc 0.5% Coking coal prices dropped to less than $100/tonne US per industrial lead 0.1% tonne because of disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic minerals 5.4% and global trade tensions (Fig. 1). Coal production volumes gold for British Columbia are forecast to total 25.1 million tonnes, coal down from 30.0 million tonnes in 2019. Coal remains British 17.0% 42.7% Columbia’s most valuable mined commodity with sales forecast at $3.97 billion for 2020 (Fig. 2), 42.7% of the mining copper 28.5% revenue for the province. Coking coal and PCI (pulverized coal injection) products are currently produced from four mines in the Kootenay Mountains in the southeastern part of the province and from three mines in the Peace coalfi elds in the northeastern Fig. 2. Forecast production value by mined commodity for British part (Fig. 3). Major markets for British Columbia coal include Columbia in 2020. The value of coal production is forecast to be Asian countries, especially Japan, China, and South Korea, and $3.97 billion, representing about 42.7% of all mineral revenue in the province. India. Products are also sold to steel mills in eastern Canada, and to South America and Europe. as steel production and infrastructure work were disrupted. A This pamphlet provides an annual summary of the provincial dispute between Australia and China affected prices through coal industry. It describes the geology of British Columbia’s the fall, and coking coal prices fell below $100/tonne in mid- coal regions, industry trends, coal transportation infrastructure, November. PCI prices averaged between $75 and $80 for the and mining and exploration activities. It also describes the year. tenure system, and lists sources of information and contacts. Production continued at four open-pit mines operated by Teck Coal Limited in the Elk Valley (Fording River, Greenhills, Line 175 Creek, and Elkview). Combined coal production for the year 165 from the Southeast Region is forecast to be 20.9 million tonnes. 155 Conuma Coal Resources Limited continued production at the 145 Brule and Wolverine (Perry Creek) mines in the Peace River USD 135 coalfi eld in the Northeast Region; production was suspended 125 at the Willow Creek mine in the fi rst half of the year due to 115 low prices. The company forecasts its 2020 total production to 105 reach about 4.2 million tonnes. The value of coal production 95 for the province is forecast to total $3.97 billion for 2020, down sharply from $4.42 billion in 2019, due to lower production and lower prices. The value of coal products constituted 42.7% of all mineral sales in the province (Fig. 2) this year. Fig. 1. Coking coal price per tonne in US dollars, November 2019 to As of November 12, new coal licence applications numbered November 2020. four, for a total of 935 hectares (Fig. 4). Three new coal licences covering 768.99 hectares were issued (Fig. 5). No new leases British Columbia coal industry trends and news were issued. A ‘No Registration’ order for the Hat Creek coal in 2020 deposit was rescinded. The order, which had been in place since Metallurgical coal prices fl uctuated through 2020 mainly 1973, prohibited applications for tenure, tenure ownership, due to market disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic exploration and mining. Neptune bulk terminal was shut down (all prices are per tonne, $US, West Coast port price). Prices for capacity upgrades for fi ve months ending in September. for British Columbia hard coking coal (Fig. 1) averaged $127/ tonne for the year. At the start of 2020, the price was about Coalfi elds of British Columbia $142; as Covid-19 forced mines to close in China temporarily The distribution of Upper Jurassic to Tertiary coal coalfi elds disrupting supply, the price rose steadily to as high as $164 in follows the southeast-to-northwest tectonic and physiographic mid-March. Prices began to decline toward the end of March grain of the province (Fig. 3). Currently, all coal mining is in the British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, British Columbia Geological Survey Information Circular 2021-02 &RDO5LYHU FRDOÀHOG 7X\D FRDOÀHOG *URXQGKRJ FRDOÀHOG 3HDFH5LYHU )RUW6W-RKQ FRDOÀHOGV :ROYHULQH 3HUU\&UHHN 6WHZDUW :LOORZ&UHHN %UXOH 7XPEOHU5LGJH 6PLWKHUV *UDKDP 3ULQFH5XSHUW ,VODQG 7HONZD FRDOÀHOGV FRDOÀHOG 3ULQFH*HRUJH %RZURQ +DLGD FRDOÀHOG *ZDLL &RDOÀHOG (ON5LYHU FRDOÀHOGV +DW&UHHN 5HYHOVWRNH )RUGLQJ5LYHU $FWLYHFRDOPLQH FRDOÀHOG *UHHQKLOOV 6XTXDVK .DPORRSV FRDOÀHOG /LQH&UHHN ; ,QDFWLYHFRDOPLQH 0HUULWW (ONYLHZ 4XLQVDP FRDOÀHOGV 9DQFRXYHU &RDOSRUW ; &UDQEURRN 6LPLONDPHHQ )HUQLH &URZVQHVW 9DQFRXYHU FRDOÀHOGV &RPR[ )ODWKHDG 5DLO FRDOÀHOG FRDOÀHOGV ,VODQG 1DQDLPR 9LFWRULD FRDOÀHOG .LORPHWUHV Fig. 3. Coalfi elds and operating coal mines in British Columbia. 100,000 70,000 90,000 60,000 880,000 550,000 770,000 660,000 440,000 550,000 Hectares 330,000 440,000 Hectares 30,000 20,000 20,000 10,000 10,000 0 0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Fig. 4. New coal licence applications in hectares, 2010 to 2020, as of Fig. 5. Coal licences issued in hectares, 2010 to 2020, as of November November 12, 2020. This chart includes applications made in 2020 12, 2020. that were converted to licences before November 12. 2 British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, British Columbia Geological Survey Information Circular 2021-02 Rocky Mountain belt of eastern British Columbia. Coalfi elds Deposits of weak coking coal are recognized in the Boulder are also in the interior of the province and on Vancouver Island Creek Formation (Upper Cretaceous) but are not mined. and Haida Gwaii. Potentially mineable coal resources in northeastern British In southeastern British Columbia, deposits are in the Elk Columbia coalfi elds have been estimated at 4.9 billion tonnes. River, Crowsnest, and Flathead coalfi elds, which extend from In northwestern British Columbia, the Groundhog coalfi eld 2 the Canada-USA border to the northwest for 175 km along (Fig. 3) extends across an area of approximately 2300 km the Rocky Mountains (Figs. 3, 6). Economic coal seams are and hosts Canada’s only signifi cant anthracite deposits. The hosted by the Mist Mountain Formation of the Kootenay Group estimated potential of the greater Groundhog region is more (Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous; Fig. 7). Most of the known than 9 billion tonnes of semi-anthracite to meta-anthracite coal. resource is metallurgical (coking and PCI) coal, ranging mainly The coal is hosted by Jurassic to Cretaceous deltaic deposits in from high-volatile bituminous to low-volatile bituminous, the Bowser Lake Group. Coal is found in several other smaller with some semi-anthracite in southern Crowsnest coalfi eld. Mesozoic basins in the northwestern part of the province, Southeastern British Columbia coals are characterized by low including the Telkwa coalfi eld south of Smithers and the Tuya total sulphur contents. Potentially mineable coal resources River deposit (Fig. 3). are estimated at 8.0 billion tonnes. Provincial legislation In the southern interior, Paleocene to Eocene basins host enacted in 2011 prohibits subsurface resource exploration and coals in the Similkameen, Merritt, and Hat Creek coalfi elds. development in the Flathead River watershed (Fig. 6), so parts These coals range in rank from lignite to high-volatile of the Flathead and Crowsnest coalfi elds are excluded from bituminous and are generally low in sulphur. coal mining activity. On Vancouver Island, coal in the Nanaimo and Comox The northeastern British Columbia deposits are in the coalfi elds is hosted by several units in the Nanaimo Group Foothills and Plains coalfi elds, together known as the Peace (Upper Cretaceous). Coal ranks are generally high-volatile River coalfi elds. The Foothills coalfi eld extends for 400 km bituminous in rank; ash and sulphur contents vary. along the eastern fl ank of the Rocky Mountains (Figs. 3, 8). The coals are distributed through a stratigraphic interval of more Coal mining and exploration in 2020 than 3000 m, and are hosted by fi ve Lower Cretaceous units, the Coal production in in British Columbia in 2020 is forecast most important of which are the Gates Formation (Fort St. John to reach 25.1 million tonnes. Production from Teck Resources Group) and the Gething Formation (Bullhead Group; Fig. 9). Limited’s four mines in the southeast part of the province Coals in the Gething and Gates formations are bituminous in is forecast to be about 20.9 million tonnes. Conuma Coal rank, ranging from high to low volatile. Metallurgical (coking Resources Limited produced about 4.2 million tonnes from the and PCI) coals are predominant, and total sulphur contents are Perry Creek, Brule, and Willow Creek mines in the Peace River typically low.