Wildcat Hills Complex in Gallatin and Saline counties in Southern Illinois began shipping coal in 1997 from the mine's Eagle Valley Pit. The Cottage Grove Pit was opened in 2000. The Complex currently includes both surface and underground operations and sold 3 million tons of coal to electricity generating customers in 2008.

 

Working on two shifts seven days a week year round, the Wildcat Hills' surface workforce of 150 mine the Herrin No. 6 seam using truck/shovel fleets and tractor push to remove overburden.

 

The Wildcat Hills underground operation, which started producing coal in March of 2006, currently consists of one unit with a workforce of 80. The addition of a second unit in the future would increase the tonnage output of the mine to approximately 1.6 million tons and will also increase the workforce to approximately 160.

 

Raw coal is transported by truck to the Willow Lake Preparation Plant for processing before being shipped primarily by barge down the Ohio River to a variety of utility plants. All coal from the Wildcat Hills Complex is currently being mined from the Cottage Grove Pit. Mined land at the operation's Eagle Valley Pit is currently being restored.

 

The Wildcat Hills Complex is a Peabody Energy operation. St. Louis-based Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) is the world's largest private-sector coal company, with 2008 sales of 255 million tons and $6.6 billion in revenues. Its coal products fuel 10 percent of all U.S. electricity generation and 2 percent of worldwide electricity.