Coal use and the environment

Introduction

According to surveys by the United Nations and other organizations, Canadians enjoy one of the highest standards of living on the planet. Our comfortable lifestyle has been achieved despite harsh winters and vast distances between population centres. Much of our nation’s success depends on reliable, convenient and affordable supplies of energy, including coal.

The two primary uses of coal are in electricity generation and in steelmaking. Coal is also an important source of energy for heating and industrial purposes, and can be processed into liquid fuels and into feedstock for chemical industries.

In 2002, more than 90 per cent of domestic coal consumption was used to generate electricity by 23 coal-fueled generation plants across Canada. Coal accounts for about 19 per cent of Canada’s electricity generation mix.

Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick use coal to generate a significant part of their electricity. Manitoba uses coal to generate a minor portion of its electric power.

Canada’s coal is also used for producing coke for steel mills in Ontario and Quebec and for export overseas. Although Canada exports metallurgical and thermal coal, it is the higher-value metallurgical or coking coals that make up most of its coal exports. These exports, valued at $1.6 billion each year, are transported by rail to ports near Vancouver and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, for shipment to Japanese, South Korean, European and other steel producers around the world.

The economic importance of the coal industry to Canada’s economy is significant — more than 56,000 direct and indirect jobs and over $4.5 billion each year of gross domestic product.

Every energy fuel source involves some impacts on the environment. This section discusses how mining coal and using coal in steelmaking affect the environment, and the continuing efforts of industry and governments to address those impacts. A summary of challenges and opportunities facing the coal mining industry is provided along with an environmental timeline, a list of publications and links to more information.

For information on the impacts of using coal to generate electricity, see thermal electricity. Web sites for more information are listed on the links page.