Hallador Energy Company engages in the production of steam coal from mines located in western Indiana.
The company operates across multiple stages of the energy supply chain, from coal extraction to electricity generation and mines coal from the rich, high-quality, lower sulfur reserves found in the Illinois Basin (ILB). Once the coal is mined by Sunrise Coal, LLC (Sunrise), the company’s wholly-owned mining subsidiary, the company processes and transports it to power plants, where it is used...
Hallador Energy Company engages in the production of steam coal from mines located in western Indiana.
The company operates across multiple stages of the energy supply chain, from coal extraction to electricity generation and mines coal from the rich, high-quality, lower sulfur reserves found in the Illinois Basin (ILB). Once the coal is mined by Sunrise Coal, LLC (Sunrise), the company’s wholly-owned mining subsidiary, the company processes and transports it to power plants, where it is used as a primary fuel source for generating electricity. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary Hallador Power, LLC (Hallador Power), the company owns and operates the Merom Power Plant (Merom), a 1,080 MW net coal fired power generating station, consisting of two 590 MW sub-critical water tube drum type steam turbine generators. The units are dispatched to the Midcontinental Independent System Operator (MISO) interconnection. Hallador Power sells wholesale energy and accredited capacity to utilities within the MISO system through power purchase agreements (PPA) and other bilateral transactions. Merom is located in Sullivan County, Indiana, about twenty miles from Sunrise’s Oaktown Mining Complex. Sunrise also sells coal to other utilities in Indiana and throughout the southeast United States. In addition, it has a developed infrastructure for the transport of coal, including rail networks and truck loading systems, facilitating the efficient movement of the resource from the mine to its customers.
Oaktown Mining Complex
The Oaktown Mining Complex is a coal mining and processing operation located in Knox and Sullivan counties, Indiana, and Crawford and Lawrence counties, Illinois.
Oaktown Fuels No. 1 Mine
As of December 31, 2024, the assigned and accessible reserve base for the Oaktown Fuels No. 1 Mine contains recoverable Indiana V seam coal. Access to the Oaktown Fuels No. 1 Mine is via a 90-foot-deep box cut and a 2,200-foot long slope, which facilitates the egress of coals being mined in excess of 375 feet below the surface.
Oaktown Fuels No. 2 Mine
As of December 31, 2024, the assigned and accessible reserve base for the Oaktown Fuels No. 2 Mine contained recoverable Indiana V seam coal.
Other Properties
The company holds other recoverable coal reserves in the ILB, which are not deemed individually material.
Ace in the Hole Mine (Ace) (surface) – Assigned
Ace Mine is depleted. Remaining inventory of coal and base was moved to the company’s Carlisle and Oaktown wash plants in early 2023. Reclamation resumed in the Spring of 2023. There are four phases of reclamation that extend through 2029, of which Phase 1 and 2 reclamation is substantially complete as of December 31, 2024.
Prosperity (surface) – Assigned
The Prosperity mine contains approximately 0.2 million tons of low sulfur coal. The mine opened in the summer of 2022. The mine produced coal and reclaimed the slurry pond and refuse pile left by the Prosperity underground mine. Additional reserves are in the area that may extend the life of this mine. In February 2024, this mine was temporarily idled.
Freelandville (surface) – Assigned
Sunrise is a contract miner at the Freelandville East Mine Center Pit, Permit No. S 358. Sunrise had an option through May 31, 2023, to assume the permit that contained approximately 1.7 million tons of salable coal with an additional 0.6 million available. Mining started in the fall of 2022 and continued through April 2023. In February 2024, this mine was idled.
Carlisle
The Carlisle mine is located near the town of Carlisle, Indiana in Sullivan County. It became operational in January 2007 for both surface and underground mining. The mine was permanently closed for mining operations in 2020. A wash plant was relocated to the Carlisle mine in 2022 and was sold in 2024.
Coal Contracts
In 2024, on a segment basis Sunrise sold 3.9 million tons of coal to 6 power plants in four different states across five different customers.
During 2024, on a segment basis the company derived 96% of its revenue from four customers (5 power plants), with each of the four customers representing at least 10% of its coal sales. During 2023, on a segment basis it derived 94% of its revenue from five customers (11 power plants), with each of the five customers representing at least 10% of its coal sales.
Significant third-party customers in 2024 include Vectren Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy, Orlando Utility Commission (OUC), and Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK).
Of the company’s 2024 sales, on a segment basis 43%, excluding Merom, were derived to locations in the state of Indiana.
Competition
The company competes against large producers, such as Peabody Energy Corporation, Alliance Resource Partners (Nasdaq: ARLP), and other private producers.
Regulation and Laws
The Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) nevertheless requires that comprehensive environmental protection and reclamation standards be met during the course of and upon completion of the company’s mining activities.
The Clean Air Act directly impacts the company’s coal mining and processing operations by imposing permitting requirements, and in some cases, requirements to install certain emissions control equipment, achieve certain emissions standards, or implement certain work practices on sources that emit various air pollutants.
The company continues to evaluate the possible scenarios associated with the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) and Mercury and Air Toxic Standards (MATS).
The company’s coal mining operations typically require Section 404 permits to authorize activities, such as the creation of slurry ponds and stream impoundments. The Federal Clean Water Act authorizes the United States Environmental Protection Agency to review Section 404 permits issued by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps of Engineers) and in 2009, the EPA began reviewing Section 404 permits issued by the Corps of Engineers for coal mining in Appalachia.
Some monitoring equipment that the company uses is subject to licensing under the Federal Atomic Energy Act. Water supply wells located on the company’s properties are subject to federal, state, and local regulations. In addition, the company’s use of explosives is subject to the Federal Safe Explosives Act. The company is also required to comply with the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, the Toxic Substance Control Act, and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.
History
The company was founded in 1949. The company was incorporated in 1985. It was formerly known as Hallador Petroleum Company and changed its name to Hallador Energy Company in 2009.