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As number six on our list , The Peak Downs mine is the largest coal mine in Australia . The open-cut coking coal mine in Queensland is one of seven mines in the Bowen Basin . The mine , which began production in 1972 , is estimated to hold 1,063 million tons of recoverable coal reserves as of June 2013 . The mine is owned and operated by BHP Billiton ’ s Mitsubishi Alliance ( BMA ). The Peak Downs mine is operated utilizing dragline and truck / shovel fleets and transported via railroad to the Hay Point Coal Terminal near Mackay for shipping .

www . bhpbilliton . com

Located in the U . S . state of Wyoming , the Black Thunder mine is the second largest coal mine in the United States . The mine was originally opened in 1977 by ARCO Coal until was acquired in 1998 by Arch Coal . The surface mine is estimated to contain 1,466 million tons of recoverable coal reserves as of December 2012 . Black Thunder consists of seven active pit areas and three loadout facilities . Production of raw coal is directly shipped through the Burlington Northern- Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroads . The mine produced 92.9 million tons of coal in 2012 .

www

. archcoal . com

42 June 2014