Colorado Mines

Bowie #2 Mine

Owner

Bowie Resources, Limited

Mine Contact

William Bear, Jr., (970) 527-4135, P.O. Box 1488, Paonia, CO 81428

Location

Paonia, Delta County, Colorado

Rail Loading Point

Converse, Colorado

Background on Mine

The Bowie #2 mine began commercial production in November 1997 and has a capacity of 6 million tons per year.

Bowie's primary product is a high Btu, low sulphur run-of-mine steam coal. The coal can be supplied as a stoker product. Mining is done underground in the thick Paonia Somerset "B" and "D" seams. Recoverable reserves presently leased exceed 100 million tons. The property has 60 million tons under permit.

The Bowie #2 mine utilizes continuous miners for development and plans to install a longwall mining system in November 1998. The longwall will mine in both the "B" and "D" coal seams. Demonstrated low cost production, coupled with high-Btu, low-sulphur product will make this a product in demand by the electric utility industry.

The Bowie #2 mine is all salaried, union-free organizations. Employees are also eligible to participate in production and safety incentive programs. A high percentage of the workforce holds mine foreman papers. This, along with their demonstrated safety and productivity, makes them one of the most skilled workforces in the industry.

A modern, fast-loading system complements the capacity and productivity of the mine operation. Over 21,000 tons of closed storage at the train loadout site assures loading of 100 car trains in under two hours per train.

With a proven production and safety record and long-term reserves in hand, the Bowie #2 mine should remain one of Colorado's primary producers well into the 21st century.

Mine Type

Longwall mining

Recoverable Reserves

"D" Seam: 35 million tons
"B" Seam: 48 million tons
TOTAL: 83 million tons

Annual Production (1996)

800,000 tons

Current Annual Production Capacity

6 million tons

Rail Loading Point Storage Capacity

Total: 140,000 tons
Preload: 21,000 in three 7,000 ton silos

Loadout Description and/or Configuration

Over-track train loader is fed by a high speed belt reclaiming from three 7,000 ton preload storage silos.

Weighing System

Thayer belt scale

System Used to Assure Maximum Loading per Car

Computerized weight system

Loading Rate per Hour

6,000 tons, 100-car train within two hours

Load Track Configuration and Capacity

Single ended empty-load track which is the extended tail of the Converse loadout. Holds 105 empties behind the loader and 92 loads below the loader to clear the main track.

Loading Mode

Plug. Downgrade coupled-load-in-motion with train in buff against locomotive.

Maximum Cars per Train

105 cars

Washing Capability

None

Coal Specifications

Bituminous coal, 12,000 Btu/lb., 0.5% Sulphur