Industrial Approval Renewed for Donkin Mine

The Province has approved a request from Kameron Coal Management Limited to renew its industrial approval for the Donkin Mine in Cape Breton.

The approval, which sets out stringent terms and conditions, allows the company to continue to operate the mine as long as it is in full compliance with the approval terms. The seven-year industrial approval takes effect at midnight on Monday, December 5, and expires on December 31, 2029.

The terms and conditions address issues including:

• greenhouse gas emissions: the company must be in full compliance with its Greenhouse Gas Management Plan and is expected to contribute to meeting Nova Scotia’s legislated greenhouse gas emissions targets
• degasification: the company must provide biannual reports on the installation of a degasification system that must be operational by March 14, 2023
• industrial noise: the company must be fully compliant with the Province’s Guidelines for Noise Measurement and Assessment for industry
• air quality management
• groundwater and surface water monitoring
• local resident complaint management: the company is required to respond directly to questions or complaints from the local community within five business days.

Kameron Coal must submit annual compliance reports to the Department by April 1 each year with details of operating conditions and monitoring results.

The Department of Public Works approved the company’s transportation route and is working to improve roads and intersections near the mine.

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Underground Mining Regulations, the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration is responsible for enforcement and approval of safety plans and equipment associated with the mine.

Underground mining is a complicated worksite with extensive regulatory requirements. The Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration will continue to conduct regular inspections at the mine.

Quick Facts:

• industrial approvals are issued by the Department of Environment and Climate Change, based on science and evidence
• Nova Scotia’s Guidelines for Noise Measurement and Assessment are being updated to better protect Nova Scotians from industrial noise
• in response to noise complaints, Kameron Coal installed a silencer on one of the mine’s fans earlier this year and replaced the second fan with a smaller fan, which makes less noise; the company has also committed to installing a silencer on the smaller fan
• the industrial approval is being issued today, and will be posted to the Environment and Climate Change website on Saturday, December 3

Additional Resources:

Workplace and technical safety information services: https://novascotia.ca/workplace-and-technical-safety/

Underground Mining Regulations: https://www.novascotia.ca/just/regulations/regs/ohsmine.htm#TOC3_7