Overview

For a summary of current projects, see:

Project listing

  • Coalspur Mines (Operations) Ltd. – Vista Coal Mine Phase II Project

    Proponent: Coalspur Mines (Operations) Ltd. (last update 07/02/2019)
    Project or activity description: Vista Coal Mine Phase II Project
    Responsible Director: Alberta Energy Regulator (AER)
    Location: 3.5 km east of Hinton
    Township 51, Ranges 23 and 24, W5M
    Municipalities: Yellowhead County
    Activity Type: Coal

    Coalspur is proposing an expansion of their approved Vista Coal Mine and would operate the mine as one complex with potential to increase the average annual production by approximately 4.2 million tonnes. The Vista Coal Mine – Phase II would be a westward continuation of the existing open pit surface coal mine to recover the same Val d’Or, McLeod and McPherson seams, using the same methods and infrastructure. The mined coal would be transported by rail to west coast ports, then shipped via ocean vessels to foreign markets.

    Project stage:

    Final Terms of Reference were issued for this project on June 18, 2019.

    Awaiting submission of the EIA/Application.

    Documents:

  • Montem Resources Alberta Operations Ltd. – Tent Mountain Mine Redevelopment Project

    Proponent: Montem Resources Alberta Operation Ltd. (last update 04/25/2023)
    Project or activity description: Tent Mountain Project
    Responsible Director: Alberta Energy Regulator (AER)
    Location: approximately 16 km west of Coleman
    Townships 7 & 8, Ranges 5 & 6, W5M
    Municipalities: Crowsnest Pass
    Activity Type: Coal
    EPEA Appl#: 010-00047679

    Montem Resources Alberta Operations Ltd. (Montem), a wholly owned subsidiary of Montem Resources Corp., is proposing to develop the Tent Mountain Project (the Project). The Project would include a surface coal mine, a coal preparation plant and associated infrastructure including a coal conveyor system and a rail load-out facility. The total project area would be confined to the existing Mine Permit area of 750 hectares and the mine production would average 1.2 million tonnes of metallurgical coal per year.

    Project stage:

    Montem Resources Alberta Operations Ltd. has withdrawn their Tent Mountain Mine Redevelopment Project from the regulatory review process.

    Documents:

  • St. Mary River Irrigation District – Chin Reservoir Expansion Project

    Proponent: St. Mary River Irrigation District (last update 04/28/2022)
    Project or activity description: Chin Reservoir Expansion Project
    Responsible Director: Alberta Environment and Protected Areas
    Location: approximately 30 km east of Lethbridge, 15 km south of Taber
    Township 7, Range 15, W4M
    Municipalities: MD of Taber, County of Lethbridge
    Activity Type: Water Management
    File #: TBD

    Chin Reservoir is an off-stream storage reservoir that is located roughly in the middle of St. Mary River Irrigation District (SMRID) irrigation network. The existing reservoir is located in Lethbridge County, the County of Warner, and the Municipal District of Taber, between NE-27-8-18-4 and SE-26-7-16-4. It is the largest off-stream reservoir within SMRID with a storage volume of 154,320 acre-foot. Chin Reservoir is located in a major glacial melt coulee known as Chin Coulee. The reservoir is impounded by two dams on its east and west ends: Chin 1 (West Dam), and Chin 2 (East Dam). The 2 dams were completed in 1955 and no major modifications have been completed since their construction.

    The Chin Reservoir Expansion Project involves the construction of a new dam which would result in a larger reservoir. The new dam would be approximately 40 meters (m) in height and would inundate (flood) approximately 650 hectares (ha) of privately held land within Chin Coulee.

    Project stage:

    Alberta Environment and Protected Areas is preparing final terms of reference.

    Documents:

  • Stone Creek Resorts Inc. – Gondola Project

    Proponent: Stone Creek Resorts Inc. (last update 11/15/2022)
    Project or activity description: Gondola Project
    Responsible Director: Alberta Environment and Protected Areas
    Location: Town of Canmore and Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park
    Township 25, Range 10, W5M
    Municipalities: Municipal District of Bighorn
    Activity Type: Recreation
    File #: TBD

    Stone Creek Resorts Inc. is proposing to construct and operate an aerial passenger ropeway system (gondola) along with a day lodge, trail networks, viewing platforms, suspension bridge and associated utility services infrastructure (the Project) as part of the Silvertip Integrated Village Resort located in Canmore, Alberta.

    The proposed passenger aerial gondola would connect the base area of the Silvertip Resort to an upper terminal on the summit ridge of Mount Lady MacDonald, via a mid-station integrated with the Silvertip Resort Village. The Project spans lands administered by three jurisdictions: Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park, public land, and land within the Town of Canmore.

    Project stage:

    Alberta Environment and Protected Areas is preparing final terms of reference.

    Documents:

  • Suncor Energy Inc. – Base Mine Extension Project

    Proponent: Suncor Energy Inc. (last update 07/05/2021)
    Project or activity description: Base Mine Extension Project
    Responsible Director: Alberta Energy Regulator
    Location: adjacent to Base Plant and north of the city of Fort McMurray
    Townships 90-92, Ranges 9-11, W4M
    Municipalities: Wood Buffalo
    Activity Type: Mine

    The Project consists of an oil sand mine and associated activities as an extension of the Base Plant operation near Fort McMurray, Alberta. The Project includes an open pit mining operation supplying oil sands to new bitumen froth production facilities (primary extraction). Bitumen froth would be delivered by pipeline to Base Plant for further processing, including secondary extraction and upgrading into various product blends for market. Further integration between the Project and Base Plant includes utilities and water systems. There would be external and in-pit tailings areas on the Project footprint. These facilities would be constructed with a combination of overburden and coarse tailings deposits. These areas, which provide off-stream storage of water that is recycled, would be the final location for coarse tailings deposits and treated fluid tailings deposits. The Project is expected to produce up to 80 million barrels per year (nominally 225,000 barrels per day) of bitumen froth during its estimated 25-year operational life.

    Project stage:

    Final Terms of Reference were issued for this project on June 7, 2021.

    Awaiting submission of the EIA/Application.

    Documents:

  • Value Chain Solutions Inc. – VCS-Heartland Complex Expansion

    Proponent: Value Chain Solutions Inc. (last update 04/27/2023)
    Project or activity description: VCS-Heartland Complex Expansion
    Responsible Director: Alberta Energy Regulator
    Location: northeast of Edmonton in the Industrial Heartland
    Townships 56, Range 21, W4M
    Municipality: Strathcona County
    Activity Type: Upgrader
    Integrated Application #: TBD

    Value Chain Solutions Inc. (“VCS”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Value Creation Inc., is proposing an Expansion to the previously approved Value Creation Inc.’s Heartland Oil Sands Processing Plant (Bitumen Upgrader and Refinery), named Value Chain Solutions-Heartland (“VCS-H”) Complex, formally Heartland Upgrader Project. The Expansion will increase the capacity of the approved VCS-H Complex in total of up to ~119,240 m3/day (~750,000 barrels per day).

    Project stage:

    Value Chain Solutions Inc. has withdrawn the final terms of reference for the proposed VCS-H Expansion.

    Documents:

Viewing EIAs

To view current and historical environmental impact assessments (EIAs) search Environmental Impact Assessment and the respective project or company name in the Open Government Portal:

Current and many historical EIAs can also be viewed and downloaded. To view a list of available EIAs, copy the link and paste into Windows File Explorer:

For more information, search the Alberta Energy Regulator Application registry by the application number listed for each project.

Contact

Connect with Environmental Assessment for further details on the Environmental Assessment process or to report issues with this website:

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Phone: 780-427-5828
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Email: [email protected]

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