The Nova Scotia government says a Cape Breton coal mine under a stop-work order since July can resume production.
The underground operation at Donkin mine has been closed since a July 15 rockfall, and in response owner Kameron Coal Management Ltd. laid off its 130-person workforce.
In a statement today, the province says Kameron Coal can reopen the mine because the company has met the first set of safety requirements imposed by the government’s stop-work order.
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Those requirements include updating the mine’s hazard-assessment classification system and increasing monitoring inside a tunnel.
The province says the mine can operate during the winter months when humidity is low and doesn’t impact the mine’s infrastructure.
In order to remain open, Kameron Coal must meet the second phase of safety requirements before Feb. 29.
That phase requires the company to hire a third-party engineer with specialized experience in mining and tunnelling to review the mine’s ground control plan.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 2023.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
