Western Railroad Discussion > Powder River coal producer Cloud Peak files bankruptcy

https://www.wowt.com/content/news/509778722.html

Here is a link to one of the best accounts of what is going on in the coal industry and how Could Peak tried to do everything right and only delayed the bankruptcy.

I cannot claim credit for the link since I pulled it from the Cloud Peak thread on the Nostalgia discussion. It is really worth reading given what the coal volumes railroads have been hauling and will be hauling are involved.

Thanks Lackawanna 484


https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060118069



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/11/19 12:14 by fbe.

I’m in the PRB right now. It’s still a busy place, just not as busy as it use to be. We’ve seen about a dozen moves in the 5 hours we’ve been in the area.

Cloud Peaks Antelope Mine is currently loading a train and they departed another earlier this morning.

Also two SB stack trains.

It would appear that BNSF/UP have decided the 4th main over Logan hill is no longer needed. There are about 4 miles of mostly BNSF hoppers being stored on the 4th main on each side of Converse Jct. More train length cuts are stored near Black Thunder’s loadouts and down south on the 4th main closer to Bill.

Posted from iPhone

Train in foreground is at the Antelope mine.  

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Coronado and Springerville Gen Stations are still receiving Antelope (ATM) and Spring Creek (SCM) trains. I'm not sure if North Antelope (NAM) or Black Thunder (BTM). There is a Spring Creek to Joseph City AZ train running now too.

Three burners Cholla plant in Joseph City AZ is scheduled to close in 2025.

There's an interesting study about converting one burner to wood. That will help with forest fire risk management, which is a huge issue. But add to co2.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/energy/2019/04/02/arizona-public-service-co-cholla-power-plant-could-convert-coal-burning-trees-from-forest-thinning/3293530002/

Posted from Android

fbe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here is a link to one of the best accounts of what
> is going on in the coal industry and how Could
> Peak tried to do everything right and only delayed
> the bankruptcy.
>
> I cannot claim credit for the link since I pulled
> it from the Cloud Peak thread on the Nostalgia
> discussion. It is really worth reading given what
> the coal volumes railroads have been hauling and
> will be hauling are involved.
>
> Thanks Lackawanna 484
>
>
> https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060118069

The writer of that article most certainly has an agenda, as with most of our media today. 

I don't own and haven't owned shares in Cloud Peak, but it's fair to say these guys were the smartest guys in the room.  If that room was filled with coal operators.

They understood the situation.  They didn't skirt safety violations, the way Blankenship and his company at Big Branch Mine were accused.  They didn't rack up record fines, even in this light hand regulatory environment, like Murray Energy did.  They invested heavily in technology.  They put a lot of money into building export business, in spite of a strengthening dollar.  Not much they could do about the price of natural gas.

If you can't sell to domestic electric plant operators, and you can't  export, what are you gonna do?

 

Topfuel.

I have been involved in moving PRB coal in all 3 directions since 1977. I watched the tracks south of Gillette be built and expanded. I saw the UP buy the broken down C&NW to get into PRB coal fields. I have seen export markets come to be in the face of international competition.

Well it's been a pretty good 50 years but you can see the turnaround coming. The truth is unless something major changes none of the current coal fired power plants will be rebuilt when they wear out. Current power users are looking for green energy power and coal and natural gas don't meet that criteria.

The authors of the article are tangential to the coal and power industries. They are clear in stating banks and investors have left those industries. If you think they are just blowing smoke perhaps you want to fight the trend and make some massive investments while prices are down.

There is an agenda involved but not in the article.

Today the stock is trading for $0.06 about 1% of what it had been. Speculative penny stock these days.