Cardinal River Operations is a steelmaking coal mine located approximately 42 kilometres south of Hinton, Alberta.

Cardinal River produces steelmaking coal – also called metallurgical coal or coking coal, which is used to make steel. We export the processed coal by sea to the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere. This involves the shipment of the steelmaking coal from the mine site to bulk port terminals in Vancouver and Prince Rupert by rail. It is then loaded on to large seagoing vessels, which carry it to our target markets.

The current annual production capacities of the mine and preparation plant are approximately 2.0 million and 3.5 million tonnes of clean coal, respectively.

Cardinal River Operations is approaching the end of its mine life and is expected to close in the second half of 2020.

The closure planning survey closed January 15th. Please check back soon for the results of the survey.

Cardinal River Operations provides local residents and stakeholders with information on the status of our mining operations, including public access. In order to ensure public safety, there are Designated Access Trails (DATs) in and around our Mineral Surface Leases (MSL). DATs provide safe access to areas popular with outdoor enthusiasts and are either designated for Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) use or non-motorized access (foot or equestrian). Public access maps are available online or from Cardinal River Operations.

Cardinal River Operations is committed to meeting high environmental standards. We maintain an extensive series of environmental management systems with focused management plans in place for areas such as haul roads water management, selenium and wildlife.