Good news abounds for Alaska's clean-burning coal industry: Usibelli is well-positioned and dedicated.

• Author: Brophy, Bill
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Mining

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Usibelli Coal Mine (UCM) has provided affordable fuel to power plants in interior Alaska since 1943--more than seventy-three years and going strong! The future of UCM looks bright, as major consumers of coal in Interior Alaska are making sizable investments in modernizing and expanding facilities that rely on coal to produce electric power and space heating.

Major Consumers of Coal

One major consumer of coal is the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The electrical, heating, and air conditioning requirements of the UAF campus will continue to be met by coal for many decades in the future when the Central Heat and Power Plant upgrade is completed. The upgrade project includes a new, state-of-the-art boiler and a much larger turbine generator sized at 17 megawatts.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Another major consumer of coal is Eielson Air Force Base. The Eielson central heat and power plant has removed and replaced one boiler, is progressing on schedule with another boiler upgrade this winter, and programmed for a third boiler to be replaced in the near term.

Golden Valley Electric Association made tremendous progress last year to bring an additional 50 megawatts of coal-fired energy online in Healy. The plant, formerly known as the Healy Clean Coal Project, is now referred to as Healy Unit #2. When combined with Healy Unit #1 and Aurora Energy LLC in downtown Fairbanks, it will yield 100 megawatts of low-cost energy for Fairbanks-area consumers.

Well-Positioned to Meet Needs

Usibelli Coal Mine is well-positioned to meet the fuel requirements for these customers and others. Two Bull Ridge Mine continues to be the primary mining area, but future demand for coal will also be met with a new mine seven miles to the northeast, the Jumbo Dome Mine. The coal seams at Jumbo Dome are approximately thirty to forty feet in thickness and extend for many miles. More than 700 million tons of surface mineable coal has been identified on current UCM leased property, which is enough coal to supply current demand for more than 350 years.

UCM coal has the lowest sulfur content of any coal mined in the United States and one of the lowest on the globe. This feature makes the coal very attractive for customers seeking to meet targets for lower emissions. Anyone who has visited the mine will clearly walk away with a comfortable feeling that the Usibelli family is serious about protecting the environment. UCM established an...