Based near Monroe City, Ind., Air Quality Mine sold 2 million tons of compliance coal in 2007 to electricity generating and industrial customers in Indiana and Illinois. The underground mine has about 58 million tons of reserves in the Indiana No. 7 and Springfield No. 5 seams and began production in 1993 after construction of a slope entry and preparation plant near Wheatland, Ind. To reduce travel time and improve ventilation for the western reserves, Peabody opened the Hart Street portal in 2003 about four miles from Vincennes, Ind. In 2006, the South portal and preparation plant were integrated into the Air Quality Mine. These facilities were purchased in 2005 and allow increased production capacity and improved mine supply system.

 

Current mining is conducted by five high-performance super section production units. Raw coal is conveyed via a 12-mile underground mainline conveyor system to the preparation plant for crushing and processing. The Wheatland plant has feed rate of 850 tons per hour and the South has a feed rate of 500 tons per hour.

 

Air Quality's 330 employees work on two production shifts per day, 5.5 days per week. One shift per day on each unit is devoted to maintenance and support activities.

 

Air Quality is operated by Black Beauty Coal, the largest coal producer in the Illinois Basin. Black Beauty is a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Peabody Energy, the world's largest private-sector coal company, with 2007 sales of 238 million tons and $4.6 billion in revenues. Its coal products fuel approximately 10 percent of all U.S. electricity and more than 2 percent of worldwide electricity. The company is serving global coal demand from electricity generators and steelmakers, and is growing to serve new global customers and emerging Btu Conversion markets.