Production of coal at Bronco Coal Mine using a continuous miner is slated to begin within the next several weeks according to Dan Baker, CEO and President of Bronco Utah Mine. Crews at the new coal mine, in Emery County, have completed 80 percent of the construction phase.
Though this mine is on property purchased from Consol Energy, it is a completely new endeavor. It is not a revamp of the defunct Consol mine. “The only thing we’re reusing is the office,” Baker said. The Bronco mine is south of the inoperative Consol mine.
Construction crews have been working for the past year and a half on cutting the new portal which will serve as an entryway to underground mine. This part of the construction, called the box cut, is complete. Crews are currently going underground to develop the portals and tunnels which will lead to the underground coal seams. Within the next months, the mine will be producing coal.
Currently, Bronco Mining employs 28 workers. When the mine is fully operational, Baker forecasts that there will be about 100 people working on site. The expected coal output will be 1.5 million tons a year.
The birth of a new mine is a watershed in local history. Aside from direct employees at the mine, local contractors and fabricators are working to get Bronco off the ground. “Everyone is cheering for us. It’s good for the economy, we’re trying to buy everything locally,” Baker added.
There is a ripple effect from new industry. The mine has been subcontracting work with many local construction and trucking companies. Badlands Fab and Machine, located in Carbonville, is one of the businesses that are working to build the mine.
“It has been really good working for Bronco Mine. It has been a positive experience. It has given my guys an opportunity to show their skills. We erected their crusher building and a lot belt lines. We have been able to be innovative to modernize some older equipment that they were able to purchase from other mines,” Dalvin Bradley, president and CEO of Badlands Fab and Machine said.
Constructing the portal has been a smooth process. Baker is thrilled with the progress, “Timing to get the mine constructed has been awesome. Everything has moved along smoothly. Contractors are looking for projects and are ready to work. With mining cutbacks in the area, acquiring mining equipment has worked out really well because the equipment has been available.”
The largest hurdles seem to be in the rearview mirror. Baker had his eye on the property as far back as 2003. He immediately had a vision for the future of a new coal mine. The greatest obstacle was finding partners who shared his optimism for the project. In 2015, he found a group in New York who were willing to back the concept and invest. They finalized the purchase on December 15, 2015.
Baker feels that the market will receive the coal because of its quality, “It is high BTU (British thermal unit, a measure of heat intensity) and low sulfur. It will be the best coal in the state of Utah.”
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