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Show 32 Energy Guide March 2004 Consolidations, closures challenge mining community tion. The product will also be difficult to replace because Consolidation of Utah coal production into fewer, larger operations reflects the need for advancing technology to reach deeper, more difficult Skyline coal quality has been good. seams. As such, the number of miners continues to decline as 'larger and more efficient equipment replaces manual labor. addition, blending coal increasingly required to achieve specific combustion efficiency and emission requirements, explained the state energy office. In 2002, 1,525 employees produced about 25.3 million tons of coal or about 16,600 tons per employee, indicates the latest analysis and forecast released by the state energy office. sion to idle the mining operation near Scofield, mixing lower quality coal with Skyline's high quality natural resource will not be an option. In is With miner productivity at 6.8 tons per man-hour. Consol's start-u- p opera- tion is excluded, then existing mines set a new instate record of more than 7.0 tons per miner hour, up from the previous best of 6 9 in the year 2000. Utah mines are also run at high rates of equipment utilization. On average, Utah facilities are deeper and more expensive to operate than is the case nationally. reDuring time, low-cost serves are depleted, and coal operators resort to seams with more difficult geologic problems. Consolidation of Utah mines and more intensive operations at remaining fa NMA Due to underground fires and high methane content, the productive Willow Creek mining operation at Castle Gate is undergoing the final stages of recla- Company consolidations and mine closures cilities may mean that coal consumers are more vulnerable to supply disruptions when production problems occur, such as water intrusion, fires, or geological faults. The 2,800 feet of overbur are impacting the future projections for the industry in the Castle Valley area. The industry, coal workers and the community face several hurtles in compensating for the losses. jor Carbon-Emer- den at Andalex's Aberdeen seam illustrate the depths to which Utah miners are going, noted the state energy office's report. The increasing complexity of Utah coal mining is also exemplified by the y n. pending closure of Skyline mine, formerly the highest producing underground op- eration in Utah. Skyline's coal will be dif- ficult to replace because other Utah mines are running at high rates of utiliza continue to shoulder the burden of market demands, yielding a steady 18.4 million tons or 72.6 percent of total production in Utah. According to the state energy office, the federal lease share will register 4.6 percent higher in 2003 when final data are compiled. The increase will occur because coal production declines during 2002 were relatively smaller on federal lease mines than on state, county and private lands. The strength of West Ridge and Deer Creek, coupled with the rise of Andalex mines, will help maintain the federal leases' status as the primary source of Utah coal for some time, pointed out the state energy (Continued on page 36) releases estimates on retrievable coal resources in According to statistics compiled by the National Mining Association, there are still approximately four trillion tons of retrievable coal resources located in the United States. The total coal resources in the nation represent a mase sive, energy resource unmatched anywhere in the world. Coal that can be extracted cost-effectiv- using existing mining technology is referred to as the "demonstrated reserve base," explains the NMA. America's domestic coal reserve base registers in the neighborhood of 490 billion tons. The amount of coal that can be recovered economically differs from area to area within the United States, points out the NMA data. Recovery of the natural resource depends upon such deci- Federal leases should Manpower efficiency continues to be strong, with If the company's U.S. factors as geology, method of mining, environmental or other restrictions, etc. The percentage is referred to as "recoverable coal re- serves." Using a recovery rate of percent, the nation's existing coal reserves are estimated at approximately 295 billion tons. The figure represents the equivalent of about 1,170 tons of coal for every man, woman and child in the United States. At present rates of recovery and use, experts forecast that U.S. coal reserves will last more than 250 years. Coal, along with petroleum and natural gas, is a fossil fuel - an energy source that can track its beginnings 60 to once-livin- g rials. organic mate- (Continued on page36) Americas domestic coal reserve base registers in the neighborhood of 490 billion tons, notes the National Mining Association. But the amount of coal that can he recovered economically differs from area to area. |