Highlights


Electricity
Average electricity costs in Kentucky were 5.43 cents/kilowatt-hour in 2006, the 4th lowest in the United States.

Production
Kentucky produced 125.9 million tons of coal in 2006, compared to the record production of 179.4 million tons set in 1990.  Kentucky has been one of the top three coal producers in the United States for the last 50 years.

Employment
The Kentucky coal industry paid $1.035 billion in direct wages in 2006, directly employing 17,669 persons and indirectly providing 3 additional jobs for every miner employed.  The average weekly wage for coal miners in Kentucky was $1,126 during 2006.

Economy
The Kentucky coal industry brought $3.5 billion into Kentucky from out-of-state during Fiscal Year 2005-06 through coal sales to customers in 30 other states and 4 foreign countries.  Kentucky coal companies paid $221.42 million in coal severance taxes in Fiscal Year 2005-06.

Coal Markets
Electric power plants, located in 30 states, accounted for almost 89.3% of the Kentucky coal sold during 2006.

Approximately 79.5% of the coal produced in Kentucky is sold out-of-state each year.

There are 22 major coal-burning electric generating plants in Kentucky, and almost all
(92.2%) of Kentucky's electricity is generated from coal.

Environment
All surface-mined land today is reclaimed equal to or better than it was prior to mining.  Kentucky mining companies have received 25 reclamation awards in 1986 thru 2005 for outstanding achievement in surface mining.

Coal mining creates valuable lands such as wildlife habitats, gently rolling mountaintops, wetlands, and industrial sites where only steep, unproductive hillsides had once existed.

Kentucky operators have paid over $978.48 million into the Federal Abandoned Mine Land Fund since 1978 to reclaim abandoned coal mines.  Nationwide, operators have paid over $7.94 billion into this fund.  However,  $1.96 billion remains unallocated for AML reclamation.

Coal Resources
Kentucky has two distinct coal fields, one in Western Kentucky and one in Eastern Kentucky.  Kentucky's 87.1 billion tons of coal resources remaining represent 83% of the original resource.

Teacher Resources
Coal education resources materials are now available to teachers and students on the Internet at the web site www.coaleducation.org.  Additionally, a coal education multimedia library kit with interactive learning tools is now available in every public elementary, middle school, and county library in Kentucky.

April 2008.  This site is for informational use only.  It includes some extrapolative second and third party data as well as some broad estimates, and should not necessarily be construed as official source data or be construed as advocating or reflecting any policy position of the Kentucky Division of Fossil Fuels & Utility Services or the Kentucky Coal Association.