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Mining Methods Metamorphosis

Mining Methods Metamorphosis . Presented by: Bradley Charles Lewis ICG ADDCAR Systems, LLC Sept 2008 . Outline Overview Jim Bridger Power Plant Recap Jim Bridger Historic Statistics Metamorphosis:Surface – Highwall – Longwall

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Mining Methods Metamorphosis

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  1. Mining Methods Metamorphosis Presented by: Bradley Charles Lewis ICG ADDCAR Systems, LLC Sept 2008

  2. Outline Overview Jim Bridger Power Plant Recap Jim Bridger Historic Statistics Metamorphosis:Surface – Highwall – Longwall Transformation Yrs: Production – Productivity (Source MSHA) Highwall Mining – Pinch Hitter Lessons Learned Conclusions

  3. Jim Bridger Power Plant • Opened in 1972 • 2120 Mega Watts • 9400 BTU coal • Average Annual Burn 8.5 Million Tons

  4. Jim Bridger Power Plant • Largest coal fired plant west of the Mississippi • 56 th largest plant in the US • Suppliers – Jim Bridger Mine (75%) - Black Butte Mine (25%) • Slated to meet all Clean Air Act Requirements

  5. Jim Bridger Mine History • Located in the southwestern corner of Wyoming • Continuously operated since 1974 • Annual Production 5.5 – 8.5 mtpy • Captive to Jim Bridger Power Plant

  6. Jim Bridger Mine History • Reserves are leased (BLM & Anadarco) • Seam heights range from 6 - 30 ft • Began as a surface mine • Morphed into a surface, highwall, & longwall mining complex

  7. Jim Bridger Mine Plan Highwall EntriesCM Development EntriesLongwall PanelSurface Pits

  8. Jim Bridger Mine – Past 35 Years • Total Tons Mined 203 Million • Life of Mine Productivity (tons/employee hour) 8.2 • Number of Years NFDL Rate < 2.0 15 • Environmental Stewardship Awards +14

  9. Decision to Highwall Mine • Reliability of supply not yet proven • No underground coal mining experience in area • Surface miners intimidated by underground ops • Turnkey contract mining approach chosen • Start small & increase as ADDCAR proves itself • Union work force – union free contractor

  10. Decision To Longwall Mine • Announced in April 2006 • Mass exodus of employees (due to less surface jobs) • Energy boom made it hard to hire employees • Lot of underground type training required • HWM kept Jim Bridger Coal going • Underground mine opened in Sept 2004 • Longwall started March 5, 2007

  11. 1970’s Mine Opening Challenges Full Circle • Labor / Skills Shortage • High Fuel Costs • Turnover • Capital Allocation • Controlling Costs 2000’s Mine Opening Challenges

  12. Transformation Years Production by Mining Method

  13. Total Production -TransformationYears Tons

  14. Production by Mining Method (%) Highwall mining will take a hiatus and return to mine the final walls

  15. Productivity – Transformation YearsTons / Employee Hour

  16. Future Surface Mine Equipment • Two Marion 8200 draglines – 1 Reclamation (until complete) - 1 Production • 4 Cat Trucks • 1 Le Tourneau 1400 Loader • Two 90,000 # pull down drills • Coal belted to plant

  17. ADDCAR Highwall Mining System • Launch Vehicle • Conveyor Cars • Continuous Miner • Stacker • Loader with “pizza pan” (for car placement)

  18. LONGWALL MINE • Bucyrus Longwall System - Electra 2000 Shearer - One Meter Face Conveyor - 970 Ton Shields - 750 ft Face • Supported by two continuous miner development units

  19. Bucyrus Longwalll

  20. HWM as a Pinch Hitter • Two capital intensive mining methods - Surface mine ramping down - Longwall mine ramping up • Completely different mining methods & equipment • Reliable coal supply had to be maintained • Near term and long term costs had to be managed • Original plan was to HWM for 20 years (@ 500,00 tpy)

  21. Summarize % of ADDCAR Jim Bridger Year Tons (000) Plant Burn 2003 490 6 2004 1,011 12 2005 2,058 25 2006 2,425 30 2007 1,640 20 • Review ideas • Vote on top candidates and consolidate • Check requirements and restrictions • Trim list to top 5-10 ideas

  22. ADDCAR Results 2003 - 2008 Zero Lost Time Accidents 4 of 5 Years Total Tons Mined - 8.9 Million

  23. Highwall Mining Heaven • Bridger has proven to be the BEST highwall mining application in the world • Multiple seams – thick seams • Favorable geology • Dedicated management teams • 15 miles of available highwall • Excellent wall preparation (pre split – 70 degrees)

  24. Highwall Mining Success Factors • Safety Focus • Spirit of cooperation • Long term planning • Short term responsiveness • Continuous communication • Management Focus / Commitment

  25. Highwall Mining Success Factors • Turn key services contract allowed executive management to focus on longwall installation • Highwall mining costs were predetermined in the contract • Working relationship outweighed any of the contractual mandates (i.e. stayed out of GM’s office)

  26. Lessons Learned When the longwall installation pushed- the following were accelerated • ADDCAR’s movement down the wall • Time and effort for short & long term planning • Support for keeping up with the highwall miner • Wall prep - pit prep - dewatering • Power cable rerouting • Length of pit needed for sequencing draglines

  27. Lessons Learned • Using an experienced contractor (ADDCAR) resulted in a reliable fuel supply • Maximizing coal qualities from the varying mining methods is vital and time consuming • Pillar design evolved with mining experience • HWM coal quality was markedly better than underground coal because they took rock in the gate roads

  28. Conclusions • Timely & Proactive transformations have been implemented over the 35 year mine life to effectively mine the remaining reserves • Applying varying mining methods has mitigated the output / cost risks and allowed the metamorphosis to occur while continuing to be a reliable supplier to the Bridger plant

  29. Conclusions • Bridger has the ONLY highwall and ONLY longwall system extracting coal in Wyoming. The exceptional cooperative working relationships with their vendors has allowed them to realize and implement their vendor’s technical and operational knowledge • Bridger is a viable and competitive coal mining complex today because it embraced the changes needed to compete over the long term

  30. Conclusions • The Bridger Mine Metamorphosis encapsulates: - Planning Long Term - Implementing - Making the Tough Decisions - Correcting the Course - Doing it All Again This model for success is applicable in our personal, physical, spiritual and managerial lives as well as our industry at large !

  31. P.S. My career favorite mine site photo – Bridger Mine Wild Horses

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