Poplar River Coal Mine

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Sherritt's Prairie Operations operates seven mine-mouth mines in Alberta and Saskatchewan. These mining operations supply electricity generation companies with coal under secure long-term contracts. Production in 2009 from Sherritt's mine-mouth operations was 35.4 million tonnes.

The Poplar River Coal Mine is owned and operated by Sherritt International Corporation and supplies the fuel for the Poplar River Power Station, which takes the total coal production from the mine. Two of the largest draglines in Canada, which are powered entirely by electricity, are used to remove the overburden and expose the coal seams. The coal is dug up by huge machines and loaded on 150-ton capacity coal haulers, which deliver the coal to the loadout where it is transported to the power plant by train. In 1989, the coal mine operation was moved to a new site and now incorporates a new conveyor belt 2 kms in length.

In the fall of 1974, the Saskatchewan Government announced the construction of the Poplar River Power Project. As a result, construction of the Morrison Dam got underway in 1975 and was completed in 1977. The reservoir and the dam were named by SPC to honor two pioneers of the area. Robert Morrison's buildings were located in the grove of trees to the northeast of the dam. George Cookson farmed along the south bank of the Poplar River, which is now under water. Late in 1975 and early 1976 work began on construction of the power house. The Poplar River Power Station features a 122-metre high smoke stack which can be seen for many miles around Coronach. The building, which is 75 metres in height and covers 6,750 square metres, houses the two 300,000 kw. turbines as well as the offices and maintenance areas. The first turbine was officially commissioned on June 20, 1981.

In April of 1977, construction commenced on the erection of a 2570 Bucyrus Erie Dragline. It was completed in August of 1978 and took its first bite on September 6, 1978. The dragline removes the over burden from the coal, which is then loaded onto huge coal haulers (trucks) by an electric shovel. The coal has a preliminary crushing and then is loaded into rail cars to be hauled to the plant where, after further crushing, it is burned as a fine powder at the rate of approximately 285 tonnes per hour.

With a construction force of over 500 men and a permanent labour market of 250 jobs the project has certainly affected the lives of people living in the area. Many local young people have been able to find employment and many new personnel have moved into the area to live. In future years there will be many, many people who remember Coronach as their first home.

An important feature of the plant is the electrostatic precipitator costing $6 million, which will reduce the amount of fly ash entering the air by 99.6%. Each of the units will consume about 2 million tons of lignite coal per year.


Reference for information:
www.saskbiz.ca/communityprofiles/communityprofile.asp?C...

Reference for Sheritt:
www.sherritt.com/subsection0f46.html?submenuid=operatio...