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Show 10 - Energy Gude - February 2000 Willow Creek modifies equipment Recapping 1998 fire, employees made ernment fight to control blaze The at Willow Creek coal mine have tremendous strides toward building the future of the operation following the fire that occurred in November 1998 Located four miles north of Helper on Highway 191, Willow Creek recommenced nor-m- operation with one longwall section and two con- tinuous miner sections on Dec. 1, 1999 Everyone involved in the many difficult tasks to bring the mine back to life are to be commended for an excellent job. The recovery effort would not have been a success without the expertise of MSHA officials, mine rescue teams, employees, management and vendors. The recovery process was truly a team effort, with everyone working toward the common goal of safely recovering the mine. Because of the extraordinary efforts of everyone involved, Willow Creek has a bright future under its new majority owner, RAG American Coal. RAG became the majority owner through the acquisition of Cyprus Coal m Mitsubishi Corporation remains the minority owner of the property The new ownership has demonstrated its commitment to the property by supporting the recovery efforts during 1999. mid-199- Improvements 9. in mine's equipment and the sys- tems have been made, including redesigning the ventilation system and installing a network of vertical gob ventilation holes to augment the mine ventilation system as well as upgrades to the capacity of the mine system. addition, research is being conducted into a horizontal degas system to even further improve the ventilation In system. The Willow Creek mine rock dust system has been expanded to increase rock dusting for mitigation of potential risks encountered underground. Also, several stress prediction programs and tools are currently being employed on the property, some with the cooperation of the federal govgroup NIOSH as well as the University of Utah. Modifications have been made to the mining equipment to better address the conditions underground. Willow Creek is committed to continually look for ways to mine and process coal safer and more efficiently, stress company officials. Production during 2000 is n projected to be in the ton range, according to the company. Willow Creek will continue supplying coal to long-terfour-millio- m domestic customers the West as well as exports to the in Pacific Rim. The mine has the ability to increase annual production levels to meet customer demand. The employees of Willow Creek look forward to building a strong future at the property through continued good cooperation with MSHA, customers and vendors. Continuous improvement the goal on the property in the areas of safety, production and environmental is On Nov. 25, 1998, a fire erupted approximately 2,400 feet underground at Willow Creek coal mine. Fortunately, all 54 workers manning the afternoon production crew managed to exit the underground facility without injury. "The miners were evacuated and on the surface within 25 minutes - they were outside the mine well before the smoke," reported Mike Dmitrich during an interview on Nov. 27. The miners were utilizing the company's longwall equipment to extract coal when the blaze ignited. "The fire started behind the longwall in what coal miners call the gob," confirmed Dmitrich, Willow Creek government affairs officer and media spokesperson. Willow Creek employees and several local mine res-- i cue teams, assisted by MSHA personnel and heavy equip- ment operators in the area, immediately focused on sealing the portals to extinguish the blaze at the underground state-of-the-a- rt facility. The concentrated effort concluded successfully at 3 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. Before the mine fire was contained, smoke billowed from the underground facility, blanketing the surround area with a thick haze. Public safety agencies throughout the county launched an emergency response process, transporting Price and Helper residents with respiratory problems to Wellington Elementary School. Thirty evacuated Helper and Price residents returned home early Thanksgiving morning. Carbon monoxide levels did not register high enough to necessitate forced evacuations. PLATEAU MINING CORPORATION Willow Creek and Star Point Mines Building upon our past and looking to the future The employees of Plateau Mining Corporation are proud to be a part of Carbon County and appreciate the support of our many friends and the businesses who have helped us achieve our An affiliate of successes. yvv v' yv |