Anglo American closes on sale of Peace River Coal to Conuma Resources

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. — The sale of a major coal operation in the Peace region from a UK company to one based out of Tumbler Ridge has officially closed.

Anglo American announced in a February 11th press release that its sale of Peace River Coal to Conuma Resources has closed.

The sale was first announced to the City of Dawson Creek in a letter addressed to council dated September 10th, 2024.

Peace River Coal produces “steelmaking coal”, which is used to create a fuel and reactant called “coke” that is used in the industrial steelmaking process. 

The operation has been on “care and maintenance” since 2014, meaning it’s not currently producing any coal, but Anglo American legal and corporate affairs director Richard Price says he hopes to see it return to production under new ownership.

“The high-quality steelmaking coal tenures at Peace River Coal will be added to Conuma’s established five million tonne production capacity in British Columbia,” Price says, “helping ensure the asset is set up for a sustainable future for the benefit of First Nations partners and all our stakeholders.”

The two companies have a history of collaboration. For several years, Conuma and Anglo American have worked with various Treaty 8 First Nations to protect Peace region caribou habitats, through the “Caribou Recovery Project” launched in 2012.

“We are humbled to be collaborating with First Nations, Anglo American and British Columbia’s regulatory authorities on caribou conservation and recovery efforts, and other initiatives to reduce the impact of mining,” says Conuma CEO Brian Sullivan. “Together, we are charting a path for sustainable mining today and into the future.”

West Moberly First Nations Chief Roland Willson is echoing similar sentiments, saying that in the past, companies have left Treaty 8 lands devastated and contaminated.

“Today, we are charting a new path with companies like Anglo American and Conuma to build sustainable development projects that bring a net positive effect to iconic species like caribou, our community, and our way of life,” says Willson.

No timeline has been announced for when Peace River Coal could resume production.