Coal Zoom | The Top 10 Coal Mines of the World

The Top 10 Coal Mines of the World

October 21, 2023 - Take a trip around the globe with us to examine the details of the Top 10 coal mines of the world. They include operations in North America, Indonesia, South America, China and Australia.

North Antelope Rochelle Mine (USA) – One of the largest active coal mines in the world, located in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. 60.4 Mt of coal produced in 2022. The mine has 1.4 Bt of proven and probable reserves.

Dragline and haul truck at the North Antelope Rochelle Mine, Powder River Basin, Wyoming. [Peabody Energy]

Black Thunder Mine (USA) – Like the North Antelope Rochelle Mine, Black Thunder is in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming. The proven and probable reserves of the Black Thunder mining complex are estimated at 747.7 Mt as of December 2019.

The Black Thunder Coal Mine is a surface coal mine in the U.S. state of Wyoming

Kaltim Prima Coal Mine (Indonesia) – An active coal mine situated in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The mine has 1,073.1 Mt of coal reserves as of the end of 2020.

Kaltim Prima Coal Mine concession area measures 90,938 ha

Cerrejón Coal Mine (Colombia) – An active open-pit coal mine in La Guajira, Colombia. Production since 2002 measures 579,5 Mt with production of 19.7 Mt in 2022.

Cerrejón is a large open-pit coal mine in Northern Colombia

Yiminhe Open-Pit Coal Mine (China) – An active coal mine located in Inner Mongolia, China. Under the most demanding climatic conditions, the plant mines approximately 3 000 tonnes of coal per hour in China’s northernmost open pit mine.

An electric drive truck running autonomously as part of a trial at Yiminhe coal mining operations

Baorixile Energy’s Antaibao Mine (China) – Another active coal mine in Inner Mongolia, China. It produced an estimated 29 Mt of coal in 2022.

Shengli Coal Mine (China) – Located in Inner Mongolia, China, it’s one of the largest active coal mines in China. It has an annual production capacity of 28 Mt with recoverable reserves estimated at 1.89 Bt.

Shengli East No. 2 Open Pit Mine. The project includes three phases.

Hei Dai Gou Mine (China) – An active coal mine in Inner Mongolia, China, known for its large production capacity. The mine is estimated to contain 1.5 Bt of recoverable coal reserves.

The mine has been producing low sulphur and low phosphorus coal with an annual output of 31 Mt

DaPing Mine (China) – Located in Inner Mongolia, China, it’s one of the largest active coal mines in the region. On October 20, 2004, 148 people died in a gas explosion.

Goonyella Riverside Coal Mine (Australia) – An active coal mine located in Queensland, Australia. The mine has a total minable reserves of 818 Mt