Black Thunder Coal Mine

Black Thunder Coal Mine
Location
Black Thunder Coal Mine is located in Wyoming
Black Thunder Coal Mine
Black Thunder Coal Mine
Location in Wyoming
LocationWyoming
StateWyoming
CountryUnited States
Coordinates43°40′N 105°18′W / 43.667°N 105.300°W / 43.667; -105.300
Production
ProductsCoal
History
Opened1977
Owner
CompanyArch Coal
"Ursa Major" dragline at Black Thunder Coal Mine, 2009
370-ton Coal Haul Truck at work, 2019

The Black Thunder Coal Mine is a surface coal mine in the U.S. state of Wyoming, located in the Powder River Basin which contains one of the largest deposits of coal in the world. In 2022, the mine produced 62,180,000 short tons (56,410,000 t) of coal,[1] over 25% of Wyoming's total coal production.[2]

Black Thunder's dragline excavator Ursa Major is the biggest working dragline in North America and the third largest ever made.[3][4] It produces enough coal to load up to 20-25 trains per day.[5] Draglines are not used to dig coal, but only strip overburden. Black Thunder operates six draglines. Coal is excavated by power shovels and loaded into haul trucks.[6] In 1974, exploration geologist Lewis R. Ladwig drilled exploratory holes on the Jacob sheep ranch. He was working for ARCO. He discovered the coal reserves of the basin. In 2009, the America's Power Factuality Tour stopped at the Black Thunder Coal Mine to report on its role in generating electricity in the US.[7]

In 2010, the Black Thunder Mine produced an estimated 115 million tons of coal, an increase of 34 million tons over 2009. The increase was a result of merging the Jacobs Ranch Mine - and its average 38 million tons per year - into the Black Thunder's annual production. With the acquisition of Jacobs Ranch Mine, Black Thunder is now the world's top coal producer.[8]

In 2011, the America Revealed "Electric Nation" episode aired on PBS and features Thunder Basin's Black Thunder coal mine.[5]

Black Thunder was reported to have mined 101.2 million tons of coal in 2014.[9]

The mine produced 62.2 million tons of coal in 2022, and is the largest producer of coal in the US.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Major U.S. Coal Mines, 2022" (PDF). Energy Information Administration of the Department of Energy. October 3, 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  2. ^ "Coal Production and Number of Mines by State and Mine Type, 2022 and 2021" (PDF). Energy Information Administration of the Department of Energy. October 3, 2023. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  3. ^ "Black Thunder Thermal Coal Mine, Wyoming". Mining Technology. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  4. ^ Orleman, Eric. "Bucyrus Erie 2570WS "Ursa Major"". Stripmine.org. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  5. ^ a b PBS-America Revealed: Electric Nation
  6. ^ Video: Virtual Tour of Black Thunder Coal Mine. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  7. ^ "America's Power Factuality Tour 2009". Archived from the original on 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  8. ^ "Black Thunder Mine". Center for Media and Democracy / Sourcewatch. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
  9. ^ "Our Mines; Black Thunder". Arch Coal. Retrieved August 2, 2015.