Up and running
Wash plant now operational at Donkin Mine
Officials at the Donkin Mine have dug up some more good news in conjunction with the only coal mine on the island.
“Our wash plant is operational and we are going through the commissioning process now,” said Shannon Campbell, vice president of project development and external affairs for Kameron Collieries.
“Which means working out the bugs, making the final connections and making sure things are running right. It will be operational in a real way in the next few weeks.”
The wash plant takes the raw mine coal and separates the pure coal from the rest.
“We’re using gravity to separate the good coal from the wash material,” Campbell said.
“An example of the things not wanted by our customer would be stone — limestone or shale. “
Campbell said most times coal is sold washed but sometimes it’s sold raw as well. The quality of the Donkin coal is an advantage that will provide opportunities in the market in the future, he added.
“The quality of our coal is very good and we anticipate some market for our raw coal as well. We’re exposed to the world market and we want to capitalize on any opportunity in the market.”
Campbell said the wash plant is a ‘tried and true design.’
As well the building is module in design allowing additions in the future to essentially increase the capacity.
Production began at Donkin Mine on Feb. 27, 2017. However, Campbell said they are taking their time with the underground operation including building a new workforce and training new miners.
“We don’t expect highly proficient 20-year miners right off the bat,” he said.
“We are giving them time to get used to the equipment and for training to take place and as that progresses so will our production.”
Campbell said they are also giving themselves some latitude to figure out how to mine the seam properly.
“Worker safety and training is the first thing we have to get right so that’s what we are focusing on.”
There are currently about 100 people employed at Donkin Mine with more than 80 per cent hired locally. Kameron Collieries will be hiring more in the future as production continues and expect to eventually reach a workforce of about 140.
A job fair about a month ago by GMS attracted 250 people. Ten were hired immediately and more have been added since.
Future hiring is expected to include miners, office staff, tradespeople, control room operators, engineers, electricians and mechanics.
In addition to the 100 workers there are also construction contractors on site. When a contractor comes on site they are given a site induction.
“So far we have given out over 1,000 site safety inductions,” he
said.
“That means over 1,000 people have had a hand in building Donkin and lots and lots and lots of them are local folks.”
Kameron Collieries officials gave the Cape Breton Post a tour around Donkin Mine. It included the entrance to the mine where workers and materials
go underground, a trip that requires a 3.8 km drive. Huge fans in a chain-linked fence on the site blow ventilation underground. There are mountains of about 3,000 tonnes of unwashed coal.
Campbell said the mine is working on securing customers.
“We are working with one potential customer and the testing of our coal is underway.” The next focus?
“To sell a whole pile of coal,” he said.
“We have a wonderful coal seam. We’ll have a productive work force and a community that’s behind us 100 per cent. We’re right on the water and this place is going to run for the foreseeable future.”
In a recent news release from Morien Resources Corp., Kameron Collieries is targeting
production of approximately 350,000 to 450,000 tonnes in 2017, 1.2 to 1.8 million tonnes in 2018, and 2.6-2.75 million tonnes of saleable coal in 2019 depending on the markets.
At this time coal production is being stockpiled on site and trucked and stockpiled at the Provincial Energy Ventures port in Sydney awaiting export. Processed Donkin coal product can be sold either as a low ash, highenergy thermal coal and/or as a high quality metallurgical coal.
In 2014 and early 2015, Cline Group LLC gained full control of the Donkin Mine after purchasing a 75 per cent majority stake in the operation from Glencore Xstrata PLC and 25 per cent interest from Morien Resources Corp.