en.Wedoany.com Reported - After the closure of the Highvale open-pit coal mine in Alberta, Canada, operated by TransAlta Corporation at the end of 2021, a large-scale reclamation project was launched. The mine was once Canada's largest open-pit strip mine, covering an area of over 120 square kilometers and producing a cumulative total of 463 million tons of coal. The reclamation project is expected to take approximately 20 years, with plans to transform the open pits into lakes, wetlands, forests, and agricultural land, reshaping the mine's landscape.
Brandon Stewart, Senior Manager of Energy Transition at TransAlta, stated that the company has a responsibility to restore all mining-disturbed areas to a state equal to or better than their original condition. The main challenge of reclamation is the pit depths ranging from 10 to 90 meters, requiring the treatment of a vast area. Project Coordinator Jacob Harris explained that the reclamation process includes leveling waste material, shaping lake contours, laying subsoil and topsoil, and then determining vegetation types—from native grasslands to agricultural land to trees. The seven pits on-site are in various stages, encompassing open pits, partially reclaimed strips, and fully reclaimed areas already used for agricultural production.
Earthmoving work is primarily carried out using dragline excavators, trucks/shovels, scrapers, and bulldozers, followed by finer operations using smaller equipment with lower ground pressure. There are 30 pieces of equipment on-site, mostly legacy mining equipment. Stewart pointed out that the equipment is aging and parts supply is critical; during reclamation, equipment operates only during the day, with more frequent start-stop cycles compared to the 24/7 operation during mining, exacerbating mechanical wear. Jim Thompson, Vice President of Sales at supplier Brandt, emphasized that such projects carry high risks, and service and support cannot be delayed, requiring a true partnership.
Founded in 1911 and headquartered in Calgary, TransAlta primarily engages in power generation and energy marketing. The Highvale mine operated since the 1970s, supplying coal for local power generation over 51 years. Reclamation work continues year-round, but soft, swampy areas require construction during winter when the ground is frozen. New machinery is equipped with remote troubleshooting software that can transmit error codes in real-time to Brandt technicians, enabling remote diagnosis or on-site repairs, thereby improving maintenance efficiency. Positioning technology has reduced the need for on-site surveying and repeated bulldozing passes, and machine control systems have been installed on excavators and several bulldozers.
Reclaimed land has several disposal options: donation and opening to the public, sale back to the original landowners, repurposing to support the local economy, or making it available for public purchase. TransAlta has donated over 12 square kilometers of reclaimed land to the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA). Lance Angley, Special Project Manager at ACA, stated that this land will continue to support nearly 100 recorded wildlife species in the area and will be opened to the public for low-impact recreational activities in the future. ACA fish biologists tested water temperature and dissolved oxygen, confirming the water quality is suitable for salmonids (including salmon, trout, char, and whitefish). Harris noted that being involved in the mine closure and transferring the land to a conservation organization makes him feel that the land will be preserved for everyone's use, holding long-term significance.
This reclamation project demonstrates the transformation practice of a large open-pit coal mine into multi-purpose ecological land, providing a case study for the ecological restoration of industrial sites.
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