Farmersburg Mine, a surface operation in Vigo and Sullivan counties in Indiana opened in 1996. The mine shipped 3.6 million tons of medium sulfur coal in 2009 to Indianapolis Power & Light's Stout Station and to Cinergy/PSI's Wabash River Station.

 

In 2010, the mine will have extracted all of the economical reserves and will close. While its workforce at the start of the year numbered approximately 230, the current workforce stands at 90, as personnel are shifted to the new Bear Run Mine, located in Sullivan County.

 

Farmersburg currently operates on two daily shifts, six days a week, year-round. They use a combination of truck and shovel, and tractor push to remove overburden and uncover coal in the Indiana No. 7 and No. 6 seams. The coal is hauled from the pit by truck to the preparation plant for crushing, processing and blending before being transported by train to the utilities. Farmersburg has 21 million tons of recoverable coal reserves.

 

In 2005, Farmersburg received the Bronze Good Neighbor Award for an extraordinary commitment to industry education and outreach activities. Activities include independent study, technology transfer with government agencies and a history of conducting educational field days to share best practices for growing productive cropland with a variety of stakeholders. About 2,500 acres have been reclaimed for agricultural use. In 2004, Farmersburg Mine earned a National Excellence in Surface Coal Mining Reclamation Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior for restoration of prime farmland.

 

Farmersburg employees were honored with the Sentinels of Safety Award given by the Mine Safety and Health Administration in 2007 for being the safest surface mine in the United States. In 2009, Farmersburg employees were honored with the Peabody President's Award for being the company's safest surface mine. The mine also received the award in 2006 and 2008. The mine reported a perfect record of zero incidents for each year.

 

Farmersburg Mine is a Peabody Energy operation. Peabody Energy is the world's largest private-sector coal company and a global leader in clean coal solutions. With 2009 sales of 244 million tons and $6 billion in revenues, Peabody fuels 10 percent of U.S. power and 2 percent of worldwide electricity.