Black Thunder Coal Mine

The Black Thunder Coal Mine is a surface coal mine in the U.S. state of Wyoming, located at 43°40′N 105°18′W / 43.667°N 105.300°W / 43.667; -105.300Coordinates: 43°40′N 105°18′W / 43.667°N 105.300°W / 43.667; -105.300 in the Powder River Basin which contains one of the largest deposits of coal in the world. Black Thunder is the second most productive mine in the United States, providing the U.S. with eight percent of its coal supply. In 2007, the mine produced 86,196,275 short tons (78.2 million metric tonnes) of coal, nearly 20 percent of Wyoming's total coal production, and higher than 23 other individual coal producing states.

Black Thunder’s dragline excavator is the biggest in the world and cranks out enough coal to load up 25 miles of railroad cars per day.. Draglines are not used to dig coal but only strip overburden. Black Thunder operates six draglines, not just one. Coal is excavated by power shovels and loaded into haul trucks.

In 2009, the America’s Power Factuality Tour stopped at the Black Thunder Coal Mine to report on its role in generating electricity in the United States.

In 2010, the Black Thunder Mine dug up an estimated 115 million tons of coal, an increase of 34 million tons over 2009. The increase was a result of merging the Jacobs Ranch Mine - and its average 38 million tons per year - into the Black Thunder's annual production. With the acquisition of Jacobs Ranch Mine, Black Thunder is now the world's top coal producer.(5)