Article by Staff Writer, courtesy of Mining.com
19.05.2025
The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) released on Friday its decision on the Northback Holdings applications for a coal exploration program, a deep drill permit and a temporary diversion licence for the Grassy Mountain coal project in the Crowsnest Pass region of southwestern Alberta.
The panel approved Northback’s application, with conditions, and found that the applications met all regulatory requirements and are in the public interest.
The AER held a public oral hearing in the community of Pincher Creek in December 2024. A continuation at AER’s Govier Hall in Calgary was convened on January 14, 2025 and closing arguments were provided on March 4, with participants presenting at the hearing.
The mine, originally closed in 1983, has the capacity to produce 4.5 million tonnes of steelmaking coal annually and spans 2,800 hectares.
The project is being led by Northback Holdings, formerly known as Riversdale Resources and Benga Mining, and Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting is the parent company.
First proposed in 2019, the project faced its first challenge after Alberta’s government rolled back 1970s-era restrictions on open-pit coal mining in 2020, as part of the province’s efforts to boost an economy hit hard by the pandemic and plunging oil prices.
In 2021, provincial regulators ruled that the project was “not in the public interest,” citing environmental risks, particularly concerns over selenium contamination in local waterways. That decision was upheld by three separate court rulings.
Despite these setbacks, Northback Holdings continued to push for the mine’s approval, pledging to implement management and mitigation measures to address environmental risks, including selenium discharge, during all phases of the project.
