Rosebud Coal Mine
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Rosebud Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Colstrip, Rosebud County, Montana, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Rosebud Coal Mine | Colstrip, Rosebud County, Montana, United States[1] | 45.870743, -106.635531 (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] | – | 1968[3] | 2045 (planned)[4] |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 5.433129168[2] | 2025[2] | Surface[2] | Open Pit[2] | 162.38[5] | 75* | 309[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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 241 | – | – | Powder River Basin[3] | Subbituminous[3] | Thermal[6] | Coal Plant[6] |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Westmoreland Rosebud Mining LLC [100.0%][1][6] | Westmoreland Mining Holdings LLC | USA |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saleable[7] | 8.63[7] | 8.39[8] | 8.45[8] | 5.31[1] | 6.49[1] | 6.97[1] | 6.99[1] | – | 5.43[2] |
Expansion/Extension
Table 7: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Project Type | Project Phase | Added Capacity (Mtpa)* | Start Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed[4] | Permitted[9] | Expansion[10] | – | – | – |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker August 2026 release.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
Rosebud Coal Mine is a surface coal mine near Colstrip, Montana, operated by Westmoreland Rosebud Mining LLC, a subsidiary of Westmoreland Mining LLC. Although it was established as early as the 1920s by The Northern Pacific Railway, its official operations began in 1968 when the Montana Power Company began working the mine to serve the neighboring Colstrip Power Plant.[11]
In 2001, Westmoreland Coal Company purchased the mine, and its subsidiary, Western Energy, began operating it. However, in 2019, Westmoreland sold the mine to its creditors as part of bankruptcy proceedings.[11]
While Westmoreland Rosebud holds four active permits to mine multiple pits — Area, A, Area, B, Area C, and Area F — active mining is currently only occurring in "Area F," which covers roughly 948 acres.[11] (Coal removal in Area D has been completed and that land is being reclaimed, whereas Area E is no longer under permit.)
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 1.4 1.5 "Mine Data Retrieval System". Mine Health and Safety Administration. Archived from the original on 2024-07-17. Retrieved 2025-04-18.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 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 (PDF) https://www.osmre.gov/sites/default/files/inline-files/20241206_RosebudMineAreaF_DSEIS_508clean_0.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20260629055504/https://www.osmre.gov/sites/default/files/inline-files/FSEIS_RosebudMineAreaF_2024_08_04_0.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 June 2026.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20250814103555/https://osmre.gov/sites/default/files/inline-files/V11D3_2025_01_08_PublicMeetingHandout_Project-Overview_Rosebud_Mine_Area-F_DSEIS.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2025.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 https://westmoreland.com/westmoreland-rosebud-mining-llc/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/106455/000010645518000028/wlb201710-k.htm.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 https://miningdataonline.com/property/1452/Rosebud-Colstrip-Mine.aspx.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-approves-coal-mine-expansion-montana-supporting-american-energy.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.osmre.gov/sites/default/files/inline-files/ROD_OSMRE_RosebudMineAreaF_2025_08_04_3.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Rosebud Mine Area F Record of Decision, U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, August 2025.
