Donkin-Morien development project

CIM Bulletin, Vol. 75, No. 845, 1982

J.J. GILLMAN, Vice-President, Project Development, Cape Breton Development Corporation, Sydney, Nova Scotia

The coal deposits from Cape Perce on Cape Breton Island have been known to supply the coal requirements of the people living in or visiting the area for close to 300 years.A major block of coal has been identified off Cape Perce, which has several seams from which coal can be taken. The initial development by the Cape Breton Development Corporation will be in the Harbour Seam and constitutes the Donkin-Morien Development Project.The CBDC's confidence in this indicated resource is based on its knowledge of the Sydney Coal Field and from boreholes driven into the block during the summers of 1977, 78 and 79. In 1980, further geological data were gathered from surface drilling and an intermediate-depth high-resolution seismic survey.The surface facilities for the Donkin-Morien Development Project will be located on the northern half of the cape, with access declines extending 3.9 km in a north-northeasterly direction to the Donkin block of coal reserves. The development has the potential of supplying all the coal needed for the future electrical power generation requirements of Nova Scotia for many years to come.The planned mine, for which a project definition study has recently been completed, will have a production rate in excess of 3 million tonnes per year.

Keywords: Coal mining, Donkin-Morien Project, Underground mining, Tunnel boring machines, Ventilation, Electrical systems.