Hillsborough Resource’s Quinsam Mine awarded permit to extend mining operations on Vancouver Island

Quinsam Mine, a coal mine located on central Vancouver Island, has been awarded a Mines Act amendment permit to extend its mining operations.

The Quinsam Mine will continue to provide more than 500 direct and indirect jobs in the Campbell River area, announced Minister of Energy and Mines Rich Coleman.

Quinsam Mine, the only underground coal mine in British Columbia, Canada,  will produce more than 500,000 tonnes of thermal coal a year. The mine started production in 1986. It has in excess of 40 million tonnes of coal resources, and is owned and operated by Hillsborough Resources Limited, part of the Vitol Group of Companies.

Located 20 kilometres west of Campbell River, Quinsam Mine provides wages and benefits for about 140 employees living on Vancouver Island totalling more than $14 million per year. Quinsam is traditionally a large supplier to the cement industry in the Lower Mainland, and also exports coal to customers offshore.

Quinsam Mine is committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety and environmental compliance. Among its other commitments to sustainability, it is dedicated to developing and implementing techniques to recycle old waste materials and convert them to usable products. Furthermore, it was the first mine to be permitted to dispose of coarse rock refuse underground in old mine workings.

As part of ‘Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan’, the Province expects to see eight new mines and another nine mining expansions operational in British Columbia by 2015. This is the second mine expansion announced and the first on Vancouver Island.

“We’re very pleased to receive the permit.” said David Turnbull, CEO, Hillsborough Resources “We appreciate the Province’s diligence in ensuring that Quinsam Mine remains an innovative and high-quality operation. We’ve worked closely with them so that we can continue to meet or exceed all regulatory requirements and protect key local environmental values. We also have worked very closely with local First Nations, as well as with the local community and other key stakeholders.”