The underground coal mine in Donkin, N.S., is still operating under a limited licence from the province, but is inching toward approval for full production.
The mine was shut down for about a month last year after a series of rockfalls. It was allowed to reopen, but mining could only take place in a short section.
Harold Carroll, executive director of Nova Scotia Labour’s occupational health and safety branch, said mine operator Kameron Coal’s ground control and ventilation plans have been approved, and an electrical plan has been submitted and is under review.
“The electrical is the last piece of the puzzle, and so the ground-control procedure is in a very good place, and the ventilation plan has changed substantially over the years and so that’s in a good place,” he said.
Those are components of the master mining plan and are requirements under the law, Carroll said. Meanwhile, the restriction that limited mining to a short section has been lifted.
For the rest of this article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/donkin-mine-closer-full-production-1.5423662