Leer South Coal Mine
| This article is part of the Global Coal Mine Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor. |
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Leer South Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Philippi, Barbour County, West Virginia, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Leer South Coal Mine | Grafton, Barbour County, West Virginia, United States[1] | 39.340035, -79.976191 (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[2] | – | 1973[3] | – |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 0.5361461577[2] | 2025[2] | Underground[1] | Longwall[1] | 107.24[1] | 167 | 399[2] |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60.6[1] | 2024[1] | – | Appalachia | Bituminous[3] | Met[1] | – |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Wolf Run Mining LLC [100.0%][3][1] | Core Natural Resources Inc [100%] | USA |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saleable[4] | – | – | – | – | 0.8[4] | 2.2[4] | 2.7[4] | – | 0.54[2] |
Reported Methane Emissions Data
Global Energy Monitor collates facility-scale methane emissions data reported by government and company sources collected in a systematic fashion. This mine is associated with the following methane emissions reports:
Table 7: Methane emissions
| Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CO2 equivalent) | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CH4) | Year of Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes) Reference | Reference type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51.37664 | 4264.26112 | 2023 | [5] | national government data |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker August 2026 release.
Reported Methane Emissions Data
Global Energy Monitor collates facility-scale methane emissions data reported by government and company sources collected in a systematic fashion. This mine is associated with the following methane emissions reports:
Table 7: Methane emissions
| Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CO2 equivalent) | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CH4) | Year of Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes) Reference | Reference type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51.377 | 4264.261 | 2023 | [5] | national government data |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker May 2026 release.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
Leer South coal mine is an underground mine, operated by Wolf Run Mining, LLC, a subsidiary of Arch Resources near Grafton, West Virginia, United States.[6]
The mine began operation in August 2021.[7] The was initially proposed with a 3 million short ton capacity,[6] but went into operation with a capacity of 4 million short tons.[7]
Financing
Arch Resources has set an overall budget for the Leer South mine of US$360 million-US$390 million.[8]
S&P Global has reported on how Arch has turned to the bond markets to help finance the project, with four recent issues: US$45.0 million in tax-exempt bonds through the West Virginia Economic Development Authority; a similar US$53.1 million offering in 2020; a US$54 million equipment financing facility in early 2020, and; a further US$135.0 million bond issue in October 2020.[9] Describing the 2020 US$53.1 million transaction as "a novel application of tax-exempt financing for the metallurgical coal industry," IJGlobal reports that Citi was the arranger of this bond issue.[10]
- Owner: Wolf Run Mining, LLC[6]
- Parent company: Arch Resources
- Location: Grafton, Taylor County, West Virginia, United States
- GPS coordinates: 39.340035, -79.976191
- Mine status: Operating
- Start year: 2021[6]
- Production: 4 million tons per year[6]
- Mineable reserves:200 million tons[6]
- Mine type: Underground[6]
- Mining method: Longwall
- Coal type: Bituminous (met coal)[6]
- Mine size:26,000 acres
- Mine depth: 550 feet
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 https://app.quotemedia.com/data/downloadFiling?webmasterId=101533&ref=318934825&type=PDF&symbol=CNR&cdn=75a5e37dd57186e49f59ba3d368cece7&companyName=Core+Natural+Resources+Inc.&formType=10-K&dateFiled=2025-02-20.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 https://web.archive.org/web/20260701051244/https://www.msha.gov/data-and-reports/statistics/mine-employment-and-coal-production. Archived from the original on 01 July 2026.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedautoref_1 - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0001037676/000155837024001229/arch-20231231x10k.htm.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://data.epa.gov/efservice/ghg/SUBPART%20FF%20-%20UNDERGROUND%20COAL%20MINES/FF_SUMMARY_SOURCE/CSV/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Arch Resources, Operations, Company Website, accessed July 13, 2020
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Morgan Snook,US met coal miner Arch starts production at Leer South Longwell Mine, S&P Global, September 9, 2021
- ↑ Hector Forster, Arch Resources presses on with 2021 startup at Leer South met coal mine, S&P Global, Jul. 29, 2020
- ↑ Taylor Kuykendall, Shut off from conventional capital, US coal companies seek creative options, S&P Global, Jun. 2, 2021
- ↑ Arch Resources Bond Facility 2020, IJGlobal, accessed Jun. 10, 2021
Coal Mine Boundaries and Methane Sources
Global Energy Monitor researchers have identified coal mine boundary/boundaries and potential sources of coal mine methane (CMM) for this mine. These research results can be used to drive CMM attribution and mitigation efforts, particularly when combined with remotely sensed methane plume locations and mine ownership data. Explore the results with the embedded map at the top of this page by clicking on the mine boundary polygon or the CMM placemarkers to reveal more details. A detailed description of this research can be found in Coal Mine Boundaries and Methane Sources. This data is also available as a downloadable companion dataset to the Global Coal Mine Tracker and the Global Methane Emitters Tracker.
Table SMP1: Coal mine boundaries and methane sources data
| ID | Mine feature category | Mine feature subcategory | Description | Coordinates precision | Data source date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1037.B1 | mine boundary | underground | Leer South mine boundary | extracted | 2024-02-15 00:00:00 |
| M1037.P1 | ventilation system | shaft | Lower Kittaning return shaft | extracted | 2024-02-15 00:00:00 |
| M1037.P2 | other | slope access or production shaft | mine production shaft | extracted | Google 11/2013, Bing 4/2023 - 8/2023 |
| M1037.P3 | ventilation system | shaft | ventlation shaft | extracted | 4/2023 - 8/2023 |
| M1037.P4 | ventilation system | shaft | ventlation shaft | extracted | 4/2023 - 8/2023 |
| M1037.P5 | ventilation system | shaft | ventilation shaft | extracted | Google 11/2013, Bing 4/2023 - 8/2023 |
| M1037.P6 | ventilation system | shaft | possible ventilation shaft | extracted | Google 11/2013, Bing 4/2023 - 8/2023 |
Table SMP2: Coal mine boundaries and methane sources data (continued)
| ID | Notes |
|---|---|
| M1037.B1 | The boundary is the Approximate Mine Plan Boundary shown in Figure 13-1: Lower Kittanning LOM Map on the 540th page ('page 53') of the US SEC 10-k for Arch Resources, Inc., Feb 15, 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/20250328200600/https://app.quotemedia.com/data/downloadFiling?webmasterId=101533&ref=318076063&type=PDF&symbol=ARCH&cdn=288ca4243ae193691b7fe6abced9dab9&companyName=Arch+Resources+Inc.+Class+A&formType=10-K&dateFiled=2024-02-15. Also on page 16, "The Leer South mining complex is a longwall operation in the Lower Kittanning seam with a preparation plant and a loadout facility located on approximately 26,600 acres in Barbour County, West Virginia.", and 507th page ('Page 20"), "For the Lower Kianning seam, the Property is composed of approximately 24,200 total acres [98 sq km]". The area of the extracted boundary is approximately 93 sq kilometers. |
| M1037.P1 | Shown in Section 15 Infrastructure, Figure 15-1: Leer South Surface Facilities, on the 542nd page ("Page 55") of the US SEC 10-k for Arch Resources, Inc., Feb 15, 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/20250328200600/https://app.quotemedia.com/data/downloadFiling?webmasterId=101533&ref=318076063&type=PDF&symbol=ARCH&cdn=288ca4243ae193691b7fe6abced9dab9&companyName=Arch+Resources+Inc.+Class+A&formType=10-K&dateFiled=2024-02-15. Location extracted from georeferencing figure 15-1. |
| M1037.P2 | Identified visually from Google Earth Pro and Bing Maps satellite imagery. |
| M1037.P3 | Identified visually from Bing Maps satellite imagery. |
| M1037.P4 | Identified visually from Bing Maps satellite imagery. |
| M1037.P5 | Identified visually from Google Earth Pro and Bing Maps satellite imagery. |
| M1037.P6 | Identified visually from Google Earth Pro and Bing Maps satellite imagery. |
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.
