Dry Fork Mine


The Dry Fork mine is a coal mine located 8 miles north of Gillette, Wyoming in the United States in the coal-rich Powder River Basin. The mine is an open pit mine that utilizes truck and shovel mining method to mine a low-sulfur, sub-bituminous coal that is used for domestic energy generation and shipped to customers via railroad. In 2011, the mine is expected to begin supplying coal to the newly constructed Dry Fork power station that has been constructed adjacent to the mine. The mine is currently owned and operated by Western Fuels Association.
As of 2009, Dry Fork had reserves of 330 mm tons of sub-bituminous coal and a maximum permitted production capacity of 15mm tons per year. Typical annual production has been in 5.2mm ton range for the last several years though. In 2008, the mine produced just over 5.2 million short tons of coal, making it the 37th-largest producer of coal in the United States.
The average quality of the coal shipped from Dry Fork is 8,050-8,200 BTU/lb, 0.20-0.42% Sulfur, 3.8-5.1% Ash, and 1.50% Sodium. Train loading operations at the mine are done with a batch weigh bin system that is coupled to a "weigh-in-motion" track scale system. Silo capacity at the mine's rail loop, which can accommodate a single unit train, is 10,800 tons.

History

The Dry Fork mine shipped its first coal to members of the Western Fuels Association in 1990 and is run by Western Fuels-Wyoming an associate of Western Fuels. Since opening, Dry Fork has shipped 69.5mm tons of coal.

Production

YearCoal productionEmployees
20186,304,02283
20176,045,61882
20166,141,43382
20156,369,20679
20145,373,97379
20135,433,93678
20126,006,78777
20115,776,09279
20105,448,07371
20095,232,45167
20085,261,24271
20075,310,71670
20065,860,99869
20054,093,61161
20044,533,62161
20034,363,68361
20024,891,40365
20014,029,10068
20002,268,72034
19991,219,5909
19981,030,7189
1997918,2248
19962,945,66239
19953,606,45347
19943,836,22851
19933,279,80149
19923,453,34049
19912,786,94643
1990736,64132
198903