It also shows the location of the plants and their generating capacity.

Wabamun is the oldest plant, it uses water from the lake as coolant for its generators. The Sundance and Keephills plants use cooling ponds and water brought in by pipeline from the North Sakatchewan River to the south.

Transalta has installed a water purifying plant to clean water from the river so it can be put into the lake to make up for water used by the generating process.

The first step in the mining process is to remove and store the topsoil from the proposed mining area.
Stripping (removal) of the overburden is done using large draglines which pile the dirt along the pit edge. When the coal seam is exposed it is removed using large loaders and trucks which carry it to the tipples at each of the plants.
After the coal is removed the overburden piles are returned to the pit, the topsoil is put back, and the area is landscaped and replanted.

Return to "Short History"

Return to Victory Coal Mine

Strippable coal reserves in the Wabamun lake district, Alberta are estimated from geological examination and drill-hole data at over 200 million tons. Detailed drill-hole logs are given; the holes were electrologged, and the value of this method in coal exploration is indicated. Study of subsurface water conditions suggest that serious flooding is likely in mining operations in the Gainford area, but that pumps could probably control water influx in the Seba Beach - Highvale area. Proximate coal analyses and brief petrographic descriptions of seams are given, indicating the coal to have a subbituminous B classification and to be bright and banded in nature.