Press Releases

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 16 – The Mongolian Mining Journal has honored Peabody Energy’s Ereen   restoration project with the 2011 Best Eco Mine Award for environmental protection. The award recognizes Peabody-Winsway Resources for its role in restoring the former coal mine site near Bulgan to healthy grasslands. 

The project is a first of its kind for Mongolia and included a successful hay cutting trial the first year after the site was seeded, results that were cited by the Mining Journal judges.  The reclaimed site is four times more productive than nearby native lands.  

Peabody Energy directed the restoration project in collaboration with Peabody-Winsway Resources and in consultation with the Mongolian government, the Mongolian State Agricultural University and the Mongolian Forage Seed Producers Association.  Many of the ecological principles used at Ereen were pioneered at Peabody operations in the United States.  The award marks the fourth time in the past year that Peabody Energy has earned recognition for the project.  

“Peabody Energy is proud to create a standard of environmental excellence in Mongolia that creates a sustainable model,” said Peabody Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gregory H. Boyce.  “Our mission says that we will restore mine lands to a condition that is equal to or better than before mining occurred. We have a superior environmental team that delivers results that are recognized around the world.”   

Ereen project team members included 60 U.S. and Mongolian environmental scientists, engineers and technicians.  The project also included developing a new water source for livestock and a fresh drinking water source for area residents who previously had no nearby access to potable water. 

The project has been honored by Mongolia’s Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism, the Minerals Regulatory Authority of Mongolia, and the General Agency for Specialized Inspection of Mongolia. 

These honors are among more than 150 awards that Peabody Energy has earned for environmental excellence, safety and industry leadership in the past five years.  

Peabody Energy restored more than 5,000 acres of mined lands worldwide, planted nearly a half-million trees and spent $245 million on land restoration and environmental activities in 2010.  The company’s activities annually inject more than $16 billion in direct and indirect economic benefits to communities where it operates.

The Eco Mine Award was established in 2010 to acknowledge environmental excellence and contribute to responsible mining in Mongolia. The 2011 Eco Mine Award was selected by a panel of judges and a public on-line vote.  Peabody-Winsway was among nine Mongolian companies considered for the award.  

Peabody-Winsway Resources, based in Ulaanbaatar, has 70 employees and is a joint venture between U.S.-based Peabody Energy and China’s Winsway Coking Coal Holdings Ltd. The joint venture is pursuing coal resource licenses in the South Gobi region and throughout Mongolia.  

Peabody Energy is the world’s largest private-sector coal company and a global leader in clean coal solutions.  With 2010 sales of 246 million tons and nearly $7 billion in revenues, Peabody fuels 10 percent of U.S. power and 2 percent of worldwide electricity.