Pioneer Coal Mine
Coordinates: 45°33′56.5″N 62°40′30.4″W / 45.565694°N 62.675111°W
The Stellarton Surface Coal Mine is an open pit coal mine located in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. It is owned and operated by Pioneer Coal Limited.
The mine began operations in 1980 and coal is extracted using truck and shovel mining. Coal mining has taken place in this area of Pictou County for more than 400 years, and the pit is the last operating coal mine in Nova Scotia.Underground mining previously took place in the area where the Stellarton pit is located and occasionally remnants of the abandoned tunnels from underground mining can be seen on the pit walls. Once coal has been extracted, the surface is restored through reclamation.
In 2014 Pioneer Coal applied to modify the "method of extraction" to include explosives, allowing them to blast through 9.1 metres (30 ft) of rock to access a 3.4 metres (11 ft) seam of coal. The application has raised concerns with the local community.
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