White County Coal, LLC (Pattiki Mine) is a leading underground producer in the Illinois Coal Basin.  Since starting operations in 1983 White County Coal has produced 2.3 million tons annually.  The mining facility has focused on producing a high quality product to satisfy their customers.  Primary customers are Seminal Electric Cooperative Inc., Tennessee Valley Authority and numerous spot customers throughout the Midwest and South.

In 2000, White County Coal initiated construction of a new facility that would access an additional 140 million tons of recoverable reserve.  The new facility is located across a fault approximately one mile from White County Coal’s existing operations.  The reserve is approximately 800 feet below the surface.  A 30 feet diameter circular service shaft and a 12 feet diameter production shaft accesses the reserve. White County Coal is positioned to aggressively develop new markets and additional services and to establish itself as the supplier of choice for customers.  Examples of the kind of services the company has to offer to date include ash and scrubber disposal.  White County Coal also has access to an aquifer and rail transportation facility to support an assortment of industrial customers. White County Coal produces Illinois #6 seam coal for shipment to Alliance Coal’s Mt. Vernon Transfer Terminal located at Mile Post 328.0 on the Ohio River.  Pattiki utilizes a continuous mining method on four coal producing sections.  The organization is a union free work force.  The Preparation Plant is a heavy media cyclone type plant that is rated at 1,000 tons per hour of raw product and 800 tons per hour of clean product.  Storage capabilities of the mine are 40,000 clean tons covered and an additional 200,000 cleans tons exposed.

The primary focus at White County Coal is safety.  The mine has an excellent safety record.  The work force is a young, enthusiastic and has an excellent work ethic.  White County’s average past five years accident frequency rate is 6.21 compared to the national industry average of 8.23.  Out of a total of 209 employees that White County employs, 107 employees maintained perfect attendance in 2000. 

White County Coal is a segment of Alliance Resource Partners LP.  ARLP is a diversified producer and marketer of coal to major United States utilities and industrial users.  ARLP began mining operations in 1971 and, since then, has grown through acquisitions and internal development to become the eighth largest coal producer in the eastern United States.  ARLP produced approximately 15 million tons of coal in 2000.  ARLP currently operates eight mining complexes in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Maryland.  Six of the Company’s active mines are underground and one has both surface and underground mines.  The Company’s mining activities are organized into three operating regions: the Illinois Basin operations; the East Kentucky operations; and the Maryland operations.  ARLP employees approximately 1,600 employees.

Coal from Pattiki complex is shipped via the Evansville Western Railway, Inc. Two of our primary customers for coal produced at Pattiki have been NIPSCO and Seminole for use in their scrubbed generating units. Pattiki production is also shipped via rail to our Mt. Vernon transloading facility for sale to utilities capable of receiving barge deliveries. In 2008, Pattiki expects to ship a significant portion of its production to Corn Products, Tampa Electric and Vectren Corporation.