Minerals and Resource Extraction

Coal

Coal is very abundant within the Red Coat REDA area. Since 1981, the Poplar River Mine located east of the Town of Coronach has been supplying coal to the SaskPower Poplar River Power Station. This partnership provides one of the main non-agriculture economic activities within the area.

Two of the largest draglines in Canada, which are powered entirely by electricity, are used to remove the overburden and expose the coal seams. The coal is loaded on 150 ton capacity haulers which deliver the coal to the loadout from where it is transported to the power plant by train. In 1989, the coal mine operation was moved to a new site and now incorporates a conveyor belt that is two kilometres in length.

Kaolin

Kaolin is essentially plastic ceramic clay and technology exists to process it commercially. Kaolin Industries Ltd. conducted processing evaluation on ore from the Wood Mountain area in 1992-1993 and achieved a kaolin quality suitable for some applications in the paper industry. The paper industry in western Canada, northwestern United States and western Ontario would be major markets for kaolin found in the REDA area.