The project will see the expansion of the existing Vista Coal Mine in Hinton. The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) has issued regulatory permits to Coalspur Mines for the expansion that would turn the largest coal mine in Canada into the largest in all of North America.
The approval will allow the company to expand the open pits of its surface coal mine westward, with new mining operations expected to cover more than 630 hectares of land along the Rocky Mountain Foothills near the gates of Jasper National Park.  Coalspur would operate the mine as one complex with potential to increase annual production from 10 to 15Mt (million clean tons) on average. The mine is expected to operate for eleven years.