The Property is situated in the southern portion of the Appalachian Basin, which contains two-fifths of the nations’ bituminous coal deposits and extends over 900 miles from northern Alabama to Pennsylvania.

The primary coal-bearing formations on the Property are Carboniferous in age, being in the Pennsylvanian system, which includes the Breathitt Formation. The average mineable seam thickness for coal horizons in these formations ranges from 1 foot to over 6 feet. The coal seams are generally continuous and non-complex but may vary in thickness and may also be locally absent. Seams retain normal stratigraphic sequence throughout the Property and no evidence has been observed that seams have been modified from pre-deformational thicknesses.

Mineable coal seams within the Property are typically low-ash with the exception of the Joyner seam, and highthermal content bituminous coals. The maximum seam thic ness may reach over 6.0 feet in the Upper Jellico underground mines; however, the average mineable thickness of the seams in this evaluation generally ranges from 1 foot to 4 feet. Seams are generally continuous, but may be locally absent. Secondary discontinuity due to erosional features is present in most areas, resulting in seam outcropping, or visible exposure of the seam at the surface. Other than oxidation of the coal exposed at the surface, erosion of the seams has no significant impact on the mineralized deposits. All seams outcrop on the property, with the exception of the Cumberland Gap seam, which is below drainage. Coal seams are characterized by both single bench and multiple-bench coal horizons with parting (non-coal) material varying by seam and area. Seam parting is common within the coal seams on the Property with intra-seam parting material increasing drastically in some areas. Roof strata are typically shale or sandy shale with zones of sandstone roof being common. Floor strata are typically sandstone, shale, sandy shale, or fireclay.

The resource base for the Property consists of seven coal seams extending from the Joyner seam at the top of the stratigraphic column down through the Cumberland Gap seam. [2014 Technical Report on the Coal Reserve and Coal Resource, p. 50]

Coal seams that outcrop along the hillside or that are located near the surface may be considered for mountaintop removal or contour surface mining methods. The surface mining methods allow recovery of resources that may lie too close to the surface for safe underground mining. Coal seams that are too thin to be underground mined economically can often be recovered successfully with surface mining methods. Contour mines advance along the coal seam outcrops with overburden back-stacked in the pit to eliminate the highwall, and excess material is placed in valley fills; however, Kopper Glo currently does not utilize valley fills for overburden storage.

Underground mine reserves are mined using continuous mining methods.

Cooper Ridge Surface Mine
Kopper Glo is in the process of permitting the Cooper Ridge surface mine.
The Cooper Ridge Mine proposes to utilize the contour surface mining and auger mining methods on the Jellico coal seam. [2017, Environmental Assessment, p.24]

Cooper Ridge Deep Mine
MSHA status was changed to NonProdActive on March 28, 2020
The Cooper Ridge Mine is located on Straight Creek. The Jellico seam is accessed via drift
entry. Cooper Ridge is a thermal coal operation on the WPP lease.

Double Mountain Deep Mine
MSHA status was changed to NonProdActive on October 16, 2017.
The Double Mountain Rich Mountain A seam underground mine is located at the head of the Spruce
Lick Branch drainage and under Double Mountain. [p. 58]
The Double Mountain Mine, an underground mine utilizing the room and pillar mining method. [2016, MDA, p.10]

Straight Creek Surface Mine
MSHA status was changed to Abandoned on May 6, 2017.
The Straight Creek Mine is a surface mine utilizing contour and auger mining methods.[2016 MDA, p. 10]. The Straight Creek surface mine includes only 0.015 million moist, recoverable tons in the Upper Jellico seam near the head of Straight Creek and is buffered by Upper Jellico underground mine works. [p.57]

Clear Fork Surface Mine
MSHA status was changed to Abandoned on March 17, 2016.
One coal seam, the Upper Jellico, has been identified as exhibiting potential surface and auger-mineable reserve tonnage at Clear Fork. [p. 56]
The Clear Fork surface mine is a contour and auger mining operation. [p.61]

Production from surface mines is crushed for railroad car loading and direct shipment to customers without coal preparation. All underground mine and highwall mining production will be washed at the Kopper Glo coal preparation facilities.

Coal is transported to the coal preparation plant and load-out facilities by coal trucks and conveyor belts. Surface mine production is transported by coal trucks to the truck dump and crushing facilities for railcar loading at the Kopper Glo unit train load-out.

Production from the active Double Mountain Mine and projected underground and highwall mines will be transported by coal trucks to the Kopper Glo plant. A new coal preparation plant will be constructed when the Cumberland Gap mine commences production.

Raw coal is fed directly into the coal preparation plant via a truck dump. Stockpile capacity includes approximately 20,000 tons of raw coal storage and 40,000 tons of clean coal storage at the plant.