Conuma Coal Resources Ltd. announced it will restart operations at the Willow Creek metallurgical coal mine that was idled by its previous owner in 2013 — the latest in a string of reopenings for the Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund Inc. subsidiary.
Conuma bought the Brule, Wolverine and Willow Creek mines, all in British Columbia, from a Walter Energy Inc. subsidiary in September 2016. The Brule mine resumed operations soon after the purchase, while the Wolverine mine reopened in January 2017, though it faced a hiccup due to transportation issues as it began to ramp up production.
According to the coal producer's website, the mine has the capacity to produce 1.2 million tonnes of mid-volatile hard coking coal and 750,000 tonnes of low-volatile pulverized coal injection product per year. The Willow Creek operation also includes a coal processing plant and a rail load-out facility.
A Canadian National Railway Co. executive said in February that coal is making a comeback in Canada, highlighting moves by Conuma to ramp up these mines. In contrast with the U.S., Western Canadian coal producers benefit from a number of different coal export terminal options on the Pacific Ocean.
