New machines to boost productivity at Atlantic Coal

Purchase of two Cat dozers and six Komatsu haulers to increase anthracite production in Pennsylvania

ATLANTIC Coal plc, the AIM-listed opencast coal production and processing company with activities in the US state of Pennsylvania, have ordered six Komatsu HD785-7 100-ton haul trucks and two Caterpillar D9 dozers.

This equipment purchase should allow Atlantic Coal to continue to increase the run-of-mine (ROM) production profile at their Stockton Colliery, an opencast anthracite operation in Stockton, Pennsylvania.

Acquisition of the equipment is to be funded through a lease purchase agreement at a total cost of US$8.5 million over six years.

Atlantic Coal’s managing director, Steve Best, said: ‘We anticipate that the acquisition of the new equipment will assist with our operational efficiency and enable us to meet our production goals for the immediate future.

‘This should allow us to increase our production of ROM coal to the wash plant and maximize the c.1.8 million tons of defined anthracite reserves at Stockton.’

Mr Best added: ‘We look forward to providing further updates on our progress at Stockton and our Pott and Bannon project, together with our wider strategy to increase our presence in the US anthracite industry, at the appropriate time.’