Instead of a Coal Mine, this Alberta Mountain May Now Become a 'Green Energy Complex'
Source: Robson Fletcher · CBC NEWS · | October 20, 2021
Montem Resources reveals plan to use Tent Mountain for pumped-hydro energy storage and hydrogen production
Source: An aerial view of Tent Mountain in southwestern Alberta, which was the site of an open-pit coal mine that was active decades ago but has since been abandoned. Montem Resources now aims to use the site for a pumped-hydro energy storage project. (Montem Resources)
An Australian mining company that had proposed a major open-pit coal mine in southwestern Alberta now says it may want to build a "renewable energy complex" on the site instead.
Montem Resources had initially planned to develop an open-pit coal mine on Tent Mountain, just southwest of Crowsnest Pass, and was in the process of seeking regulatory approvals for the project.
But after the federal and provincial governments rejected a nearby mining proposal — Riversdale Resources' Grassy Mountain project — Montem rethought its plans for Tent Mountain.
The company has now announced a new proposal to use the mountain's favourable topography for pumped-hydro energy storage, powered by nearby wind turbines, along with a green hydrogen production facility.
Pumped-hydro energy storage involves moving water uphill and storing it, essentially creating a big battery. When the energy is needed, the water is released downhill and spins turbines to produce electricity.
Green hydrogen is produced by using electricity to split apart water molecules into their component parts: oxygen and hydrogen. Of the various methods for producing hydrogen, it results in the least greenhouse gas emissions.
'Unique opportunity'
Montem CEO Peter Doyle says the size and shape of Tent Mountain, combined with existing reservoirs from an earlier coal-mining project on the site, creates an "absolutely unique opportunity" for a pumped-hydro facility.
The site already has two key components for such a project: a high-altitude reservoir and a low-altitude reservoir, which were built as part of a previous mining project decades ago.
The vertical drop between these two reservoirs is about 300 metres, which also lends itself well to power generation.