“Strategically the acquisition of Green River further expands our presence and enhances ARLP’s existing operating platform in the growing Illinois Basin coal market,” said Joe Craft, president and CEO, ARLP. “The Onton No. 9 mine is an attractive addition to our current operations in western Kentucky and provides ARLP with increased flexibility to service our existing customer base.”
The Onton No. 9 mine is an underground mining complex which uses three continuous mining units employing room-and-pillar mining techniques. The mine currently produces about 2.1 million tons of coal and employs 315 miners. Green River is in the process of completing an air shaft which would allow the addition of a fourth continuous mining unit should market conditions warrant increased production from the mine. Essentially all of the planned 2012 production from the mine is committed and priced under Green River contracts with existing ARLP customers.
