Overview
| Status | Inactive / Suspended |
| Mine Type | Underground |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
- Continuous
- Room-and-pillar
|
| Processing |
- Wash plant
- Dense medium separation
|
In December 2016, the deterioration of the North End of the Carlisle Mine, coupled with lower coal prices led to determine that the northern end of the Carlisle Mine no longer could be safely and profitably mined. The sealing of the North End was completed in March 2017.
With the Carlisle Mine remaining in hot idle status, the company conducted a review of the Carlisle Mine assets as of December 31, 2017, based on estimated future net cash flows, and determined that no further impairment was necessary; however, if future expectations and assumptions change it may incur possible impairment in future periods. |
Source:
p. 32
Hallador Energy Company indirectly owns Carlisle mine through it's wholly owned subsidiary Sunrise Coal, LLC.
Summary:
The coal is accessed with a slope to a depth of 340'. It is mined in the Indiana Coal V seam which is highly volatile bituminous coal and is the most economic in Indiana. The coal thickness in the project area is 4' to 7'.
Mining Methods
- Continuous
- Room-and-pillar
Summary:
The employees at the Carlisle Mine operate 4 underground mining units using the room and pillar approach—one of the safest and most ecologically friendly methods for extracting coal. Our No. 5 coal seam is 350-440 feet deep and it is accessed through a 2,400-foot driveable, dual-use slope.
The coal is accessed with a slope to a depth of 340'. The coal is mined in the Indiana Coal V seam which is highly volatile bituminous coal and is the most economic in Indiana. The Indiana V seam has been extensively mined by underground and surface methods in the general area. The coal thickness in the project area is 4' to 7'. Production at Carlisle has been significantly curtailed until market conditions improve.
Room and pillar mining is a non-subsidence plan for a mine, preserving the precious farmland above. It is among the safest and one of the most ecologically-friendly approaches to mining coal today, creating a non-subsidence environment (no movement of land) and maintaining clean water standards.
As the name indicates, large pillars of coal (40 feet wide) are left standing to help support the roof of the mine—more than half of the coal remains intact as supporting pillars to maintain the integrity of the surface land. The end result is a grid of open space (rooms) cleared by a continuous miner machine and separated by pillars. Once the coal is cleared and placed on a conveyor belt to our state-of the art surface wash plant, roof bolters enter the new area to secure the roof, inserting fully grouted 6-foot metal rods every four feet. At the wash plant, rock and debris are separated from the coal so that it can be cleansed of sulfur and other minerals in preparation for our customers.
Processing Technologies
- Wash plant
- Dense medium separation
Summary:
The Sunrise Carlisle Mine includes an on-site coal wash plant. The twin heavy media wash plants (1,000 tph) guarantee consistent quality for Sunrise customers.
Production:
| Commodity | Units | 2016 | 2015 |
|
Coal (thermal)
|
M tons
| ......  | 1.3 |
| Heat Content | BTU/lb | 11,480 | 11,470 |
| Sulfur | % | 4.6 | 4.6 |
All production numbers are expressed as clean coal.
Operational Metrics:
| Metrics | 2016 | 2015 |
|
Coal washing plant annual capacity
| 3.5 M tons of clean coal | 3.5 M tons of clean coal |
|
Raw coal annual capacity
| 2.5 M tons | 3.3 M tons |
Reserves at December 31, 2016:
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity |
|
Proven
|
21.8 M tons
|
Coal (thermal)
|
|
Probable
|
5.5 M tons
|
Coal (thermal)
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
27.3 M tons
|
Coal (thermal)
|
Financials:
| | Units | 2015 |
|
Capital expenditures
|
M USD
|
8.3
|