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By Marcel Michaud

Over the past five years, the two-fold growth in Canada's coal industry "Figure, 1" results primarily from the coking coal market to Japan and, to a lesser degree, by the increasing use of sub-bituminous and lignite coal for power generation in the Prairie Provinces. This expansion will continue, but production of coal for domestic thermal generation of electricity will grow at a faster rate than coking coal exports "Figure, 2". Half of the 20 million tons of thermal coal used for electrical power generation in Canada during 1974 were imported by Ontario Hydro from U.S. coal companies in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Ontario Hydro's Nanticoke station on Lake Erie which will consume 7.5 million tons of coal in 1977 when fully operative, as well as other future planned projects, could cause Ontario Hydro's coal consumption to rise from 10 million tons today to 20 to 25 million tons by 1985

Jan 1, 1975

By Michael A. Farrugia, Marcel Michaud

Remoteness of western Canadian coals has always been a barrier to the use of Canadian coals domestically. However, the world energy crunch, increased mining costs, stricter environmental controls, labor shortages, etc., are such that by 1980 a shortfall from traditional U.S. sources will prevail. Of necessity, Canada must then bring western coals east, requiring major new transportation initiatives. CN, CP Rail and Neptune Terminals are proceeding jointly with the design of a $30 million, fully automated, coal terminal at Thunder Bay. This element forms part of a $400 million integral transportation system to open new lines, improve trackage, acquire rolling stock and ships, for an initial capacity of 3 million tpy.

Jan 1, 1977

By J. Vaughn Barrie

Placer mineral deposits may exist in the nearshore and shelf regions off western Canada. These deposits could contain gold, ilmenite or zircon as well as sand and gravel aggregate. Two deposit types typical of the British Columbia offshore are: (l) modem and relict gold/titanium beach deposits; and (2) reworked relict titaniferous shelf deposits. The preservation of drowned beach heavy mineral concentrations resulted from a rapid relative sea level rise across the shallow shelves approximately 10 500 years ago, particularly off the Queen Charlotte Islands. This same transgression submerged an outwash fluvial system that had been exposed for at least 3200 years, draining areas of known gold placers.

Jan 1, 1994

By A. F. Beck

Abstract Canada has opened up a geological province in ?Western Canada which offers a new .stimulus to oil exploration geophysics. The problems of instrumental technique, interpretation, and logistics involved in the exploration of this new territory are presented in this paper and some of the efforts being undertaken to overcome them are discussed. The scope of this programme, its possible trend and extent, especially when viewed .against the background of the exploration effort in the United States, is touched upon. Introduction The science of earth physics was first applied to the search for oil on this continent some twenty-five years ago when torsion balance and refraction seismic methods were initiated in the Gulf Coast area of the United States. Since that time advances in the various branches of the science have been sporadic as new fields for their use opened up in the search for deep salt domes as well as less well-defined geological structures; in the application to well logging as part of the exploitation of petroleum; and in underwater surveys, aerial surveys, etc. In the present paper, attention has been concentrated only on the Western Canada plains area because of the recent remarkable growth of geophysics as an oil finding technique in this region. The other prospective oil areas of the West Coast and the Eastern Provinces of Canada are at present of minor importance, although they will undoubtedly receive increasing consideration in the future as accessibility to markets becomes a major factor and more improved geophysical and geological techniques are developed. A vast province in Canada, covering some 655,000 square miles of prospective oil territory (approximately one-half of the prospective oil area in the United States), has provided the new sphere of activity for geophysics (see Figures 1 and 2). Included in this area are immense inaccessible, uninhabited frozen regions which pose a new problem in logistics and operational techniques.

Jan 1, 1950

By Ernest E. Thurlow

The western coal industry, long overshadowed by the petroleum and metallic minerals industries, has been revitalized by several new coal mining operations, with the promise that this is only the beginning of a tremendous surge in production of coal that will carry into the next century. The content of this paper is confined to the coal fields and recent developments in eastern Montana, northeastern Wyoming and western North Dakota. The area is commonly referred to as the Powder River-Fort Union region although the Powder River Basin and the Fort Union formation are separate entities and are not coextensive. Coincidentally or otherwise, the extent of the subbituminous part of the coal region coincides approximately with the Powder River Basin. Environmental considerations together with the low sulfur content of much of the western coal have triggered demand since this coal could not compete at present with eastern and midwestern coal solely on a delivered-cost-per-million-btu basis. However, increasing costs of underground mining and the comparatively thin seams of the eastern and midwestern deposits may soon bring a balance to these costs regardless of the sulfur content. Another factor which has made western coal competitive at this time is the use of the unit-trains to significantly reduce the cost of transportation. Fast loading and unloading facilities and trains of 100 cars or more in turn-around service are the keys to success in this effort.

Jan 5, 1974

By Ernest E. Thurlow

"Western Coal" in this paper is limited to those deposits of subbituminous coal and lignite in the States of Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota. The characteristics of the coal are discussed as well as the history of mining and current mining operations for steam coal. The future of the region is tied closely to the ultimate conversion of coal to oil and gas products. Problems of industrial water supply and environmental considerations are covered together with a brief review of current legislation's actions affecting strip mining.

Jan 1, 1973

By Glen A. Zumwalt

Coal's Dynamic Legacy The first session presented by Mr. Zumwalt emphasized Western coal development, the heritage of the industry and its growth in the West. The session began with a brief description of the geologic origin of coal followed by a short history quiz given the audience to stimulate their curiosity and involve them in the presentation. Slides and flip charts were used as visual aids and a demonstration of energy resources and uses was made by playing the famous Skyline jelly bean game. Coal Mining Today Today's coal mining practices were dealt with in the second session as Mr. Zumwalt appeared dressed in the garb of the modem day miner. He then led a discussion of coal production in the Western states, its uses and the different techniques used in extracting coal from both a surface and an underground mine. Current coal transportation and markets were also touched on. Our Exciting Future Recent coal growth in the marketplace and new uses of coal products to the year 2000 were dealt with in the final session. Mr. Zumwalt covered things that currently impede the expanded use of coal and things that can negatively or positively affect the future use of coal. In each of the three sessions, Mr: Zumwalt was ably assisted by Mrs. Janet Gwilliam, his secretary at Utah Fuel Company.

Jan 1, 1984

By A. E. Michon

My comments today are directed toward western coal and its impact on Burlington Northern. I will be discussing three major topics. These are: location and extent of mining activities, the flows of this coal traffic into the various market territories, and finally the interaction of this western coal with coals found in the balance of the United States. When we at BN speak of western coal, we refer to those substantial deposits lying in southeastern Montana and north-eastern Wyoming. This territory covers many different coal formations. For the sake of simplicity, I will be referring to this general area as the Powder River Basin (or the "western" coal fields). This slide highlights the area overlayed by a map of the BN rail system. The U.S. Bureau of Mines estimates the demonstrated reserve base of Montana and Wyoming to be approximately 176 billion tons. Of this figure, about 73 billion tons is minable by surface methods. This is roughly 72% of the total strippable reserves in the western united states, BN does not have sole access to this coal for there are deposits in southern Wyoming near the union pacific railroad. I will say more about this later.

Jan 1, 1978

By Duane E. Eubanks, David B. McDonald

The anticipated growth of western coal production over the next decade is expected to add approximately 274.3 million t/y (302.4 million stpy) to US capacity. The increased output, coming from both new mines and expansion of existing facilities, promises to bring with it a new set of problems for mine planners.

Jan 8, 1976

By Kenneth L. Maloney

Ten small and intermediate-sized [11 GJ/hr to 264 GJ/hr (10,000 lb/hr steam to 250,000 lb/hr steam)] coal-fired boilers in the upper Midwest have each been tested on both a bituminous eastern coal and a subbituminous western coal. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of substituting western subbituminous coal for eastern bituminous coal as a means of reducing the SO x emissions from this class of boiler and to demonstrate the feasibility of greatly expanded western coal utilization as a means of reducing the use of oil and gas. The scope of this study was such that the representative boiler types were tested on both eastern and western coal for a period of time sufficient to completely characterize their individual emission and operational characteristics.

Jan 1, 1977

By Peter L. Langsjoen, Kenneth L. Maloney

Ten small and intermediate-sized (4.5 Mg/hr to 113 Mg/hr steam--10,000 to 250,000 lb per hr) coal-fired boilers in the upper Midwest have each been tested on both a bituminous eastern coal and a subbituminous western coal. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of substituting western subbituminous coal for eastern bituminous coal as a means of reducing the SO, emissions from this class of boiler and to demonstrate the feasibility of greatly expanded western coal utilization as a means of reducing the use of oil and gas. The scope of this study was such that the representative boiler types were tested on both eastern and western coal for a period of time sufficient to completely characterize their individual emission and operational characteristics.

Jan 1, 1978

By Ted Schwinden

It's my pleasure to welcome the Rocky Mountain Coal Institute to Montana. Now that you've ended a 74 year history of meeting outside our borders, I hope you'll be back more often. Even if I can't convince you to come back before 2060, when another 74 years will be up, I'm confident the Kalispell and Flathead Lake area will do the persuading for me. In recent weeks, I've made a number of speeches around the state pointing out just how wrong the revenue projections in Montana's state government made in April of '85 were when we came to April of '86. Since the middle of this month, Montana's legislators have been in Helena struggling to balance a state budget that, by the end of fiscal year '87, threatened to be some $88 million in the red. Other western states reliant on natural resource and agricultural economies have found themselves caught in the same deflationary spiral. The "window of opportunity" I proposed and the 1985 Montana Legislature passed, couldn't have been opened at a more difficult time. What was envisioned as an incentive to expand Montana's coal production, and our tax base, ran aground on low oil prices and excess hydroelectric power. De- spite the one-third severance tax rebate offered on new coal production, year-to-date figures published in the June 2nd Coal Week show that production in Montana is down almost 10 per- cent from last year. Again, we're not alone. Production in Wyoming is down 8 percent and in North Dakota, it has dropped 13 percent. An over- all 3 percent production decline in western states looks even worse when contrasted against a 12 percent increase for your eastern competitors. Montana's "window of opportunity" had the potential to be a significant signal to your industry. That potential was quickly tempered by the inability of Arab nations to stabilize world energy prices. If any of us had forgotten, the last twelve months have reminded western states that the well-being of our natural resource economies has a tremendous impact on the ability of all levels of government to provide services. The past year has also driven home that in the world of business and in the business of the world, risk-taking is still the name of the game. The Western Governors recognize the problems facing this industry - and our states - and we're prepared to fight for the future of western coal. In the past two decades, legitimate environmental concerns have created a vast body of new legislation affecting coal producers. The industry has been required to meet new reclamation standards - tough regulations relating to ground water, air quality and wildlife habitat. To the industry's credit, coal companies have hired professionals with the technical know-how to do it right. Rather than considering reclamation laws to be an unreasonable burden, today's coal company is more likely to view its reclamation efforts as a source of corporate pride. In a sense, the industry and the agencies which regulate it have matured together . . . although at times OSM is reluctant to admit that either of us capable of or willing to play by the rules. Certainly some abuses exist and OSM's oversight has been helpful in ensuring parity between those states willing to comply and those that would rather defy federal law. Nonetheless, penalizing the more modem and responsible western coal industry for abuses that occur elsewhere is both unfair and counterproductive. Federal penalties range from "cruel and unusual" reporting requirements to the proposed electricity tax that would effectively force utilities and ratepayers who have already met the sulphur emission standards to subsidize those who have dodged their cleanup responsibilities. As a member of the Alliance for Acid Rain Control, I have joined corporate leaders, academicians, environmental representa-

Jan 1, 1986

By James E. Palmer

Geologic constraints on mining and recoverability include the following: coal seams too thin or thick for conventional mining methods; coal seams with insufficient stratigraphic separation; unstable roof or floor strata; discontinuous or lenticular seams; coal seams that have high dips or are intensely faulted; water problems due to proximity of aquifers; and coal quality problems such as excessive sulfur, ash, chlorine, sodium, etc. The demonstrated reserve base for western coal of 220 billion tons is considered misleading as it does not adequately incorporate the above parameters in estimating procedures. Current reserve base estimating procedures involve an abstraction of data from generalized resource estimates. The authors believe the reserve base should be determined independently beginning with well-known deposits, with all mining and recoverability constraints fully incorporated.

Jan 1, 1981

By C. P. Davenport

At the risk of belaboring certain facts which have so often been stated in the past, please bear with me while I set the stage. What are the projected electrical power needs of the nation and of the Northwest during the next 15 to 20 years? No one who has researched the subject over its historical past has reached a substantially different result than the following simple conclusion: electrical power requirements are doubling every decade. There are some who question the necessity of a power company's need to install capacity every ten years equal to what it has done during its entire previous history; there are even those who would argue that such growth should be arbitrarily curtailed. We are not here today to decide who should have light, heat, jobs and comfort, for we know that a power company must, by law, meet its responsibilities of providing the energy the public expects when the switch is thrown. The Northwest area (the States of Oregon and Washington), for which I speak, has the same case history of electrical power need as does the nation as a whole, and the requirement boils down to roughly an average of a million kilowatts of new capacity each year over the next ten years and we can estimate an average two million kilowatts per year in the 1980's. This is simple arithmetic, but the problems of meeting this exhausting schedule are a real challenge. The subject to which I address this paper is the role that Western Coal will play in the 6 billion dollar investment in these power generation stations. That 6 billion dollar figure represents today's dollar value and you may wish to apply your own escalation - frankly, I haven't the courage.

Jan 1, 1972

By C. P. Davenport, Garth Duell

What are the projected electrical power needs of the nation and of the Northwest during the next 15-20 years? No one who has researched the subject has reached a substantially different result than the following simple conclusion: electrical power requirements are doubling every decade. There are some who question the necessity of a power company's need to install capacity every ten years equal to what it has done during its entire previous history; there are even those who would argue that such growth should be arbitrarily curtailed. However, a power company must, by law, meet its responsibilities of providing the energy the public expects when the switch is thrown.

Jan 10, 1972

By N. E. Grosvenor

The present and future activity of western coking coals is discussed. A general description of location, quantity, and quality is used as a basis for discussing development, mining, and marketing problems facing these reserves. As the need for coke from the West increases, solutions to the present mining and transportation problems will be forthcoming. Improved mining and blending technology, coupled with a more economical transportation solution, must precede a rapid development of the West's coke reserves. Ever increasing demands on coke production enhance the prospects of an accelerated development of these reserves.

Jan 1, 1976

In March 1962, over three months ahead of schedule, production began from the Ventersdorp Contact Reef of the Western Deep Levels Ltd. mine on the West Witwatersrand. Few mines have captured the interest of mining men and the public as has Western Deep Levels. It has presented the gold mining industry with a challenge which involved the opening of an ultradeep mine with the attendant problems of exceptionally heavy capital commitments ($77 million to start of production), high rock temperatures and pressures at great depths, cementation and pumping in an area notorious for the volume of subsurface water, and the necessity for entirely new thinking and the application of new ideas. HISTORY Not all the problems facing Western Deep Levels were, however, new. Situated 43 miles from Johannesburg, just off the main road to Potchefstroom, Western Deep Levels was the sixth company to undertake mining operations on what is known as the West Wits line and it could draw on the wealth of experience gained by other pioneer mines in the area.

Jan 12, 1962

By Lloyd F, Bayley F. J

The new South Mine in the Western Deep Levels complex is destined to become an ultra deep project extending to depths of 4 200 m below surface and where rock temperatures are likely to exceed 65 ¦C. Initial estimates put refrigeration requirements at 133 000 kWR. A surface refrigeration plant with an initial capacity of 42 000 kWR has been commissioned and will be used for mining the upper levels.

Jan 1, 1988

Western Energy Co.'s Rosebud mine in Colstrip, MT, has implemented innovative mining techniques in the past,* and following in that tradition, new techniques for overburden removal were recently introduced at the Montana coal mine. In April 1979, falling coal production left Western Energy in a bind. At that time the company was one of the first to implement a dozer/scraper stripping system for additional stripping capacity. This time around, however, the challenge was to eliminate spoil rehandle with a dragline while digging down 33 in. "Rehandle will increase 20% by going down an additional 3 m past the 24-m level," according to Bob Cope, mine supervisor for Western Energy. To cut this additional expense by eliminating the need to rehandle, Western now uses scrapers to bench down for the dragline. This system utilizes the flexibility of scrapers as earthmoving tools. Although scrapers were originally purchased to fill an immediate need for productive, low-cost overburden stripping, they are now benching and continue to optimize the overall effectiveness of existing draglines. According to the company, the draglines couldn't keep up with production requirements if they had to rehandle spoil material. Benching with the scrapers eliminates spoil rehandle. Western Energy expects to produce 10.6 Mt of coal this year from three active pits in the Rosebud mine. Western estimates that there are enough coal reserves at Rosebud to support a 40-50 year operation. The sub-biturninous coal has an energy value of 9.2-9.4 Mj, 0.87% sulfur, 8% ash, and 20% moisture. Pit A, approximately 610 m long and 45-55 m wide, is the mine's greatest producer. A Marion 8050 dragline with a 46-ms bucket digs 30-33 m to uncover the 7.3-m Rosebud coal seam. Here, the scrapers were put to work benching for the dragline. Long Construction Co., which operates the mine equipment for Western Energy, uses four Caterpillar 637 tandem-powered scrapers, two Cat 631s and two Terex TS-24s. The number and combination of scrapers actually used for benching periodically changes, depending on which ones are needed for topsoil removal and reclamation. Scrapers benched down about 9 m and removed nearly 2.3 Mm of over-burden at pit A. About 1 Mm was placed in a 9-m lift on top of the high-wall at the head of the pit. The scrapers built up one side of the lift first and then the other on successive passes to

Jan 2, 1981

By P McConnell, T Garrigan

Tara Mines Limited, in Ireland, is Western Europe's largest zinc mine. Annual metal production, from 2.5 million tonnes of ore, consists of 180,000 tonnes of zinc and 34,000 tonnes of lead.

Jan 1, 1989