Coalspur Mines Ltd. (ASX: CPL, TSX: CPT) said April 26 that the annual marketable coal production capacity from the Vista Coal Project in western Canada has increased by 7% to 12 million tonnes per year, up from a prior 11.2 million tonnes per year.
The increased production rate is the result of an optimization study on the planned coal processing plant and mine scheduling, and follows a feasibility study on Vista which was published on Jan. 30. The optimization study was completed by CPG Resources-QCC Pty Ltd. (CPG) as part of the ongoing engineering work on Vista. CPG was responsible for the processing plant and thermal dryer design components of the recently completed Vista feasibility study.
Coalspur Managing Director and CEO Gene Wusaty said: “The results of the optimization study reflects Vista’s status as a world-class, Tier one mining project that will be a strategic supplier of thermal coal to the Asian markets. The increased production rate further enhances the economics of Vista as it will require a minimal amount of capital investment and will decrease ongoing operating costs. As we progress to construction we will evaluate additional optimization opportunities to maximize the value of Vista.”
This higher production is to be included in Coalspur’s recently increased port allocation at Ridley Terminals Inc., the operator of a major coal export terminal on the British Columbia coast.
The Vista project is located within the Hinton region of Alberta, Canada. The Vista strip mine would produce a low-sulfur, high volatile bituminous coal. A CN Rail main line is located adjacent to Vista, which can be used to transport coal to deepwater ports on Canada’s west coast.
