Published in the August 2009 Coal USA Magazine

Sitting beneath about 250 feet of overburden in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, near the town of Central City in the state’s western region, the room and pillar Parkway mine has two active sections running supersections. The mine’s fleet of three new Joy 1415CMs will become four with a delivery in September, and the mine’s equipment line-up includes eight Joy BH10 battery haulers and Fletcher double-boom bolters.

There is no coal left behind from Parkway’s 54-inch cutting height as it extracts coal from the West Kentucky No. 9 seam. Shale roof conditions are generally good, according to Armstrong vice president of operations Kenny Allen, as is the medium to soft fireclay floor.

Parkway utilizes 5-foot glue bolts, and 9ft supplemental cable bolts in the supply road and belt entry. While the mine is still in development, the design outlines pillars with 70x70ft centers in the mains and 50x70ft centers in the submains; entry width is 20ft.

As part of the Illinois Basin, the more shallow Kentucky mines are less gassy. Ventilation circuits are an uncomplicated design of split air at the active sections that push air at an adequate capacity to properly ventilate the operating units.

That plan provides more than sufficient air and “will be adequate for the mine’s life”, Allen said.

The mine produced coal at a low rate during development but with the recent addition of the second operating unit production has increased to approximately 5200 raw tons per day. By press time, crews will have ramped up that total to 6000t.

The addition of the fourth continuous miner will help achieve that goal as Parkway continues to pick up speed.

Once pulled from the face, coal is carried out on a 48in conveyor system capable of transporting 1500 tons per hour. As the mine settles into its planned production rates, Allen said there were no bottlenecks or other major problems with the conveying system.

For an operation just a few months old, Parkway has already gained a positive maintenance footing. Armstrong Coal has an inked agreement with Joy that provides assistance on any major equipment issues, while management has also dedicated a portion of the mine’s third (owl) shift to preventative maintenance.

Allen said that equipment availability had caused a few headaches early on, but the weakened demand for coal across the industry had actually helped to put the mine in a better position and availability of equipment had improved.

On the subject of technology, a full AMS tracking system is also being installed underground, with new components put into place as development advances. Allen noted that the supplier had provided good support for the system and Armstrong’s crews thus far. The mine’s communication system was purchased from Active Control Technologies.

Parkway ultimately will be staffed by some 120 workers, 110 underground, working two eight-hour production shifts and one maintenance shift daily. When full production is reached there will be 10-12 additional people to man the new 400tph preparation plant and coal-handling facility that supports Parkway.

The mine’s budgeted tonnage for 2009 is 725,000-750,000, and Allen said the hard-working crews were pretty much on track with that goal.

Management reported that the mine’s safety performance was also off to a great start, and attributed the success to its plan to mix experienced workers with inexperienced workers, hoping to provide mentorship based on proper behaviors and procedures.

“This approach has worked out well for us in the past,” Allen said.

Parkway is one of four new Armstrong operations to open in western Kentucky in the past 28 months. The producer has also commenced production at the Big Run underground mine as well as the Midway and East Fork surface operations during that time. There are also two operations in the early stages of planning, the open-pit Equality complex and the underground Ceralvo mine, though Armstrong is still mum on the details of both.

Although it is still solidifying its place among some of its Illinois Basin neighbors, Parkway has managed to be quite productive amid one of the nation’s deepest economic crises in some time. That has not gone unnoticed, Allen said.

“We here at Armstrong are very happy and proud to be able to provide good-paying, safe jobs for our community while producing the fuel that plays such a vital role in supporting our standard of living here in America.”

The stats

Mine: Parkway Mine

Owner: Armstrong Coal

Location: Muhlenberg County, Kentucky

Seam: West Kentucky No. 9

Seam/Cutting height: 54 inches

2009 budget: 725,000-750,000t

Staff: 120, with 110 underground