Mining Intelligence and News
United States

Wyodak Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Coal (thermal)
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
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SnapshotThe Wyodak mine provides low-sulfur coal directly to five power plants via a conveyor belt system. Nearly all of the mine’s production is sold to our on-site generation facilities under long-term supply contracts.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Black Hills Corp. 100 % Indirect
Wyodak Resources Development Corp., a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Black Hills Non-regulated Holdings.

Deposit type

  • Sedimentary

Summary:

The Wyodak-Anderson coals occur in the upper part of the Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana. The Fort Union Formation crops out along the margin of the basin, and is overlain by exposures of the Eocene Wasatch Formation in the central part of the basin.

The Powder River Basin is an asymmetrical structural basin with an axis that trends northwest to southeast along the far western part of the basin. Along the western margin of the basin Fort Union rocks dip an average 20-25° to the east, and along the eastern margin of the basin the rocks have an average dip of 2-5° to the west The Powder River Basin covers more than 12,000 square miles and the Fort Union Formation is more than 6,000 ft thick in the deepest part (axis) of the basin.

The Wyodak-Anderson coal zone contains net coal (total thickness of all coals greater than 2.5 ft thick) that is more than 200 ft thick. The entire zone is more than 600 ft thick (measured from the top of the uppermost coal to the base of the lowermost coal). It consists of as many as six coal beds. The coal beds average 25 ft in thickness, and are separated by clastic sedimentary rocks ranging from a few feet to 150 ft in thickness. The Wyodak-Anderson coal beds merge into a single coal bed as much as 202 ft thick in the west-central part of the basin and as much as 120 ft thick in the eastern part of the basin.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

CommodityUnits202320222021202020192018201720162015
Coal (thermal) tons  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3,716,4804,085,0444,182,8003,717,4144,140,386
All production numbers are expressed as ROM coal.

Operational metrics

Metrics2023202220212020201920182017
Coal tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3,716,480 tons4,085,044 tons4,182,800 tons
Stripping / waste ratio  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2.3 2.2

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Financials

Units2020201920182017
Capital expenditures M USD  ....  Subscribe 8.4   18.8   6.7  
Revenue M USD  ....  Subscribe 61.6   68   66.6  
Operating Income M USD  ....  Subscribe 12.6   16.3   13.5  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 6, 2024

EmployeesYear
...... Subscription required 2023
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Aerial view:

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