Falkirk Coal Mine
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Falkirk Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Underwood, Mclean County, North Dakota, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Falkirk Coal Mine | Underwood, Mclean County, North Dakota, United States[1][2] | 47.469902, -101.074861 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Opening Year | Closing Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating[1] | – | 1978[2] | – |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 6.8[2] | 2024[2] | Surface[1] | Open Pit | 226.0 | 75.0* | 435[3] |
Table 4: Coal resources and destination
| Total Reserves (Mt) | Year of Total Reserves Recorded | Total Resources (Mt) | Coalfield | Coal Type | Coal Grade | Primary Consumer/ Destination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 339.0 | – | – | Fort Union Region | Lignite[2] | Thermal[2] | Coal Creek Station[2] |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Falkirk Mining Co [100%][1][2] | Nacco Industries Inc [100.0%] | USA |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROM | 7.2[4] | 8.4[4] | 7.4[5] | 7.2[5] | 7.9[6] | 7.6[6] | 5.99[6] |
Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker May 2025 release.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
Falkirk Mine is a surface coal mine, operated by Falkirk Mining Company, a subsidiary of North American Coal, producing 8.2 million short tons per annum, in Underwood, North Dakota, United States.
The mine provides fuel to Great River Energy. The company states that the mine began production in 1978 and "delivers approximately 7 million tons of coal per year" which is supplied to Great River Energy. The company mines approximately 400 acres of land a year.[7]
Expansion
On September 10, 2025, as part of the US government's efforts to revitalize the US coal industry, the Falkirk Mining Company, which operates the Falkirk mine, won a federal coal lease bid to mine 11.3 million tons of federal coal across 800 acres.[8] (The awarded land tracts are located adjacent to or within the current Falkirk mining operation.)[9] Won with a bid of $80,000, this federal coal lease is expected to generate annual rental fees of $3 per acre, and a 7% royalty payment on coal produced. Royalties paid will be shared evenly between the State of North Dakota and the U.S. Treasury.[8]
This additional acreage is included in the 13.1 million acres of public lands reopened to coal mining by the Trump administration in September 2025.[10]
External links
- "Major U.S. Coal Mines," Energy Information Administration
- "Facts About Falkirk Mine," Steele-Waseca Electric Cooperative
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20240717193400/https://www.msha.gov/data-and-reports/mine-data-retrieval-system. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0000789933/000078993325000006/nacco-20241231.htm.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240213175031/https://www.msha.gov/data-and-reports/statistics/mine-employment-and-coal-production. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 (PDF) https://filecache.investorroom.com/mr5ir_nacco/243/NC-2018-10K.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 (PDF) https://filecache.investorroom.com/mr5ir_nacco/245/NC-2020-10K.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 (PDF) https://filecache.investorroom.com/mr5ir_nacco/343/NC_2023_10K-PRINTER_PROOF_LR.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ North American Coal Corporation, "Falkirk Mine", North American Coal Corporation website, accessed July 2011.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "BLM coal lease sale at Falkirk Mine nets nearly $80k", US Bureau of Land Management, 10 September 2025.
- ↑ US Federal Register, "Lease for Sale Falkirk Mining Company, Falkirk Mine Lease-by-Application NDM 111489, McLean County, ND", Federal Register website, Accessed September 2025.
- ↑ "Interior Unleashes American Coal Power in Bold Move to Advance Trump Administration Priorities", US Department of the Interior, 29 September 2025.
