MARKETS

Coal industry unscathed by tornados

THE US plains states, well known as Tornado Alley, do not have many coal mines – but those active operations in the path of this week’s devastating storms are running normally.

Donna Schmidt
Coal industry unscathed by tornados

No coal operations in the central US – including the hard-hit states of Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas and Illinois – reported any impacts from the storms or twisters, said US Mine Safety and Health Administration spokeswoman Amy Louviere.

A massive storm system swept over the states Sunday and Monday, doing most damage to the city of Moore in central Oklahoma. A tornado, now classified as an F5, the strongest type, took down entire neighborhoods, a local hospital, two schools and many businesses.

The path of the twister was as wide as two miles in some areas.

At press time, the confirmed death tally from Moore alone was 24, nine of them children. That figure is expected to increase as the cleanup continues.

According to federal data, Oklahoma has one active underground coal mine and five surface operations, as well as one surface operation listed as temporarily idled. All of the mines produce bituminous coal.

The sole underground complex, Calder, is owned by Coal Creek Minerals, while the remaining mines are operated by Farrell-Cooper Mining and Phoenix Mining.

None of the operators provided comment by press time on any specific damage to facilities.

TOPICS:

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Automation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations using autonomous solutions in every region and sector, including analysis of the factors driving investment decisions

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2023 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of current exploration rates, trending exploration technologies, a ranking of top drill intercepts and a catalogue of 2022 Initial Resource Estimates and recent discovery successes.