Coal in Canada : production staying strong in the west

Most coal operations in Canada are in Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, with some ongoing coal production in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. This article discussed the factors that influence the growth distribution of coal. While metallurgical coal produced in British Columbia is primarily exported, Canada's thermal coal production is largely consumed internally, nearly exclusively for power generation purposes. Thermal coal in the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Alberta has increased steadily. Although Ontario is a big coal consumer, it has seen a reduced consumption in recent years due to a higher output from its nuclear fleet. Coal is evaluated by a set of properties, including its thermal content and the nature of impurities in the coal such as ash, moisture and sulphur. Quality and heating value are important because each power plant is designed for certain coal characteristics. Most of Canada's thermal coal production is directed to mine-mouth operations, notably power plants that were built in the immediate vicinity of a mine in order to keep transportation costs as low as possible. The single largest driver for the revival of seaborne thermal and metallurgical coal markets is the pronounced growth in China and the associated demand for raw materials to fuel the growth. This article listed the major coal producers in Canada along with their production capacity. 3 figs