The US coal and energy group Peabody Energy, the largest private coal group in the world, has impaired the value of its North Antelope Rochelle Mine by US$1.42bn, taking into account lower long-term gas price forecast, coal-fired power plant retirement plans and continuous growth in renewable power generation, which are expected to reduce again the share of coal in the US power mix.
The North Antelope Rochelle Mine, located in Wyoming (United States), is a surface mine that has been in production since 1983. The North Antelope Rochelle Mines, which has about 19 years of reserves, is the biggest coal mine in the US, accounting for 12% of US production in 2019.
US coal and lignite production has decreased by 30% since 2014 (640 Mt in 2019) and has declined considerably overall since 2008 (-36% from 1 076 Mt). The main production areas are Wyoming, followed by West Virginia and Kentucky. Most of the production is located in the Western region and the Powder River basin.