Andalex Resources
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This page was last updated on February 7, 2025.
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Andalex History
Andalex Resources was a privately-held company that first came to Utah in 1978 when its predecessor company Amca Coal leasing (later Tower Resources), purchased the Pinnacle mine in Deadman Canyon, in Carbon County, about 8-1/4 miles north east of Price.
The Pinnacle mine was joined by the Wildcat loadout in 1981, and the Genwal Crandall Canyon mine in 1995, and the West Ridge mine in 1999. Andalex Resources (and its four Utah properties) was sold to Murray Energy in 2006. The Genwal Crandall Canyon mine and the West Ridge mine were shut down in 2007, and the Centennial mines (now known as the Tower mine) was shut down in 2008. Although the mines are inactive, the sucessor company to Murray Energy, Utah Land Resources, Inc. retains ownership and responsibility. Ownership of the Wildcat loadout was passed to its joint partner, Intermountain Power Agency in 2011.
Andalex Resources was a company with its U. S. offices in Louisville, Kentucky, but its top-level parent company existed behind multiple layers of corporate structure operating out of The Netherlands, hence the regular referrals to it being a Dutch company. Andalex Resources was in fact, a closely-held private company owned by the Mitchell-Green family of Geneva, Switzerland. It had its 150-year-old roots in Scotland, where its most prominent owner had been Sir Harold Mitchell, who died in 1984. (Read the Wikipedia article about Sir Harold Mitchell)
Andalex has been owned since its inception by the Mitchell-Green family. The Mitchell family originally became involved in the coal mining business in 1835 with operations in Scotland and subsequently began operating in Canada and the U.S. in 1911 and 1976, respectively. The U.S. coal business subsequently grew through a series of acquisitions of operations and Federal coal leases over the next several years to include the existing Andalex operations in Utah, as well as operations in Eastern and Western Kentucky. The family began shifting its ownership interests away from coal about a decade ago to focus on real estate and investments primarily in Europe. The Canadian business, Luscar Ltd., was sold in 1996 and the Eastern and Western Kentucky operations were divested by mid-1998. Andalex is the last remaining piece of the Mitchell-Green family's coal investment holdings. (Coal Age magazine, January 2006, page 20-21)
April 1990
The Horse Canyon mine, formerly owned by U. S. Steel, was sold to Intermountain Power Agency and its partner Andalex Resources, as a potential source of fuel for the Intermountain Power Project near Delta. (Documents on file at the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, Permit C0070013)
(Read more about the Horse Canyon mine)
On May 11, 1990, Mary Jean Mitchell Green, chairwoman of the board of Andalex Resources, died of cancer at age 38. She had become chairwoman of Andalex and Luscar in 1983, upon the death of her father. She was succeeded as Chairman by her husband Peter Green. At the time, Andalex, shown as being owned by the Mitchell-Green family of Geneva, Switzerland, had coal mines in eastern Kentucky, western Kentucky, and in Utah. The family's residence was in Geneva, and Ms. Green was buried in Scotland. (Louisville Courier Journal, May 15, 1990)
October 1994
The parent company of Andalex Resources, Inc. was reported as Andalex Resources B.V of Amsterdam. (Casper Star Journal, October 17, 1994)
May 9, 1997
Andalex Resources sold its Cimarron Division in western Kentucky, and moved its corporate offices to Salt Lake City. The corporate office in Louisville, Kentucky, with its 25 employees, was to be closed in July 1997. (Salt Lake Tribune, May 5, 1997)
2003
Andalex was one of the major suppliers of coal to the Intermountain Power Project near Delta, Utah. During 2003, Andalex was furnishing coal from its West Ridge and Genwal mines. Both mines were jointly owned by IPP and Andalex.
September 27, 2005
Andalex announced that its coal mines in Utah were being sold. The Mitchell family had been part of the coal industry since 1835. Andalex had its beginning in 1976. (Andalex Resources press release dated September 27, 2005)
October 4, 2005
Owned by the Mitchell-Green family since its establishment in 1976, the Andalex company began moving its investment focus from coal to real estate about 1995. Since that time, Andalex has sold two of its assets, including its property in western Kentucky as well as Canadian-based Luscar Ltd. The company chairman stated that it was time for the company to no longer be in the coal business, and to focus on growing the business in different areas. Included in the potential sale was the Tower Division's Centennial Project, and the company's 50 percent interest in West Ridge mine, operated by subsidiary West Ridge Resources, and the company's 50 percent interest in the Crandall Canyon Project, operated by subsidiary Genwal Resources. The other 50 percent of the latter two complexes were owned by Intermountain Power Agency. (Austrailia's Mining Monthly, October 4, 2005)
2006
Luscar, Ltd., sold its Andalex Resources coal properties in Utah to Murray Energy Corporation. Andalex had sold its coal properties in Kentucky in 1998.
(Luscar, Ltd., remained in the coal business, and by April 2018, was Canada's largest coal producer with mines in Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.)
August 9, 2006
Murray Energy Corporation "purchased all of the shares of the common stock of Andalex Resources, Inc and its subsidiaries, effective as of August 9, 2006. The Utah operations of Andalex including the Crandall Canyon Project, West Ridge Project, Tower Division and the Wildcat Loadout will be operated by UtahAmerican Energy, Inc, the Utah subsidiary of parent Murray Energy Corporation." (Murray Energy Corporation press release dated August 9, 2006)
(Read more about Murray Energy)
May 11, 2011
Andalex Resources transferred ownership of the Wildcat loadout to Intermountain Power Agency. (Documents on file at the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining)
"Intermountain Power Agency has acquired all the necessary approvals, licenses, rights-of-way, and permits at both state and federal levels to conduct coal storage and loading operations on the plan area. The facility is designed to handle loading and crushing activities up to 5.5 million tons per year."
As of February 2018, Andalex Resources, Inc., was still active in Utah coal mining, along with other companies owned and controlled by Murray Energy, including UtahAmerican Energy, Inc., West Ridge Resources, Inc., and Genwal Resources, Inc.
Andalex Utah Properties
Andalex Wildcat
Wildcat Loadout
Jointly owned with Intermountain Power Agency
Permit No.: C/007/033
Sold to IPA in 2011 -- (Read more about the Wildcat Loadout)
Andalex Centennial Project
Centennial mine
Permit No.: C/007/019
Closed in 2008 (Read more about the Centennial mine, below)
Andalex Genwal
Jointly owned with Intermountain Power Agency
Crandall Canyon mine
Permit No.: C/015/032
Closed in 2007 -- (Read more about the Genwal Crandall Canyon mine)
Andalex West Ridge
Jointly owned with Intermountain Power Agency
West Ridge mine
Permit Application No.: C/007/041
Closed in 2007 -- (Read more about the West Ridge mine)
Centennial Project (Tower Resources)
(Deadman Canyon)
Centennial Project: Pinnacle mine; Aberdeen mine; Apex mine; portals in Deadman Canyon.
The Centennial name comes from the initial coal lease in 1973 being held by "Centennial Coal Associates," with the initial opening being called the Pinnacle mine.
The Tower (later Andalex) Centennial Project is comprised of three mines located closely together in Deadman Canyon. There were three active mine openings: Pinnacle mine; Apex mine; and Aberdeen mine. The Pinnacle mine extracted coal first from the Gilson seam, then from the Centennial seam.
Andalex Resources operated the Pinnacle mine in Deadman Canyon, eight miles north-north-east of Price, Utah. The Pinnacle mine had been developed by Andalex predecessor Amca Resources beginning in 1981. In later years Andalex developed the adjacent Aberdeen and Apex mines, also in Deadman Canyon. The group of mines were shown in documents as the Andalex Centennial Project or just the Centennial mine. The coal from the Pinnacle mine was trucked to the Wildcat Loadout on Utah Railway for shipment to customers.
The Centennial Project mined four different coal seams in various areas within the coal leases held by Tower Resources (later Andalex Resources). The top seam is the Lower Sunnyside seam which varied from 4 to 5 feet. The Centennial seam is 80 feet below the Lower Sunnyside seam and ranged from 5 feet to 7 feet. The Gilson seam is 110 feet below the Centennial seam, and ranged from 4 to 9 feet. The lowest is the Aberdeen seam (also known as the Castle Gate 'A' seam), approximately 250 feet below the Gilson seam. The Aberdeen seam ranges between 4 and 13 feet of coal. Both longwall and room and pillar methods of mining were utilized in mining operations.
The Centennial Seam, above the Gilson seam, was mined via rock tunnels from the existing Pinnacle Mine. The Apex mine extracted coal from the Centennial seam, and from the Lower Sunnyside seam, situated above the Centennial seam. The Aberdeen mine extracted coal from the Aberdeen seam (also known as the Castle Gate 'A' seam). The mines are located in the Right Fork of Deadman Canyon.
There are four economic seams present on the Deadman Canyon property. The uppermost seam is the Lower Sunnyside which varies from four to six feet thick. The second highest seam is the Centennial Seam which varies from four to eight feet thick. The third seam is the Gilson Seam which also varies from four feet to eight feet thick. The lowermost seam is the Aberdeen which varies from four to thirteen feet in thickness. The bottom two seams are separated by a 200 foot interval which includes a massive sandstone. The Gilson and the Centennial Seams are separated by approximately 130 feet and the Centennial and Lower Sunnyside Seams are separated by 80 feet including a massive sandstone. It should be noted that the area in which the Centennial Seam is to mined does not contain any reserves in either the Lower Sunnyside nor the Gilson Seams. Only the Aberdeen Seam is present where the Centennial Seam is to be mined.
Mining plans called for rock tunnels to be constructed from the existing Pinnacle Mine up to the Centennial Seam mining area. These sloped rock tunnels were each approximately 500 feet in length. The three tunnels consist of an intake air tunnel, a return air tunnel, and a belt tunnel. Coal was transported via the belt tunnel and transferred onto the existing Pinnacle Mine conveyor belts. These tunnels were constructed in the Spring of 1990 and mining was commenced.
The mining method being employed in the Aberdeen Mine was "gateroad" development utilizing continuous miners with final extraction by longwall. Certain fringe area reserves, inadequate for longwall panels, were by room-and-pillar method.
All Andalex Centennial mines used the MHSHA roof support plan which calls for bolting on five foot centers with a minimum 42-inch bolt length in the development entries. Roof control in the longwall faces was accomplished using hydraulic shields. The roof in all four seams is a massive sandstone (60 feet or more) and offered excellent support in itself. The old mine workings which were rehabilitated for the Pinnacle Mine main entries had stood unsupported for 40 years.
Centennial Timeline
Several small operations previously mined a considerable amount of coal over the past 70 years in the Deadman Canyon Area. Mining ceased in the area in 1964. Mining operations at the Pinnacle Mine began on October 3, 1980 on the Zion's fee lease and extended onto Andalex's federal leases in 1982. Andalex opened the Apex Mine in late 1982. Mining activity in 2002 was occurring in the Gilson Seam and Lower Sunnyside Seam. Mining commenced in the Aberdeen Seam in mid 1988. Mining commenced in the Centennial Seam in 1990.
1976
Centennial Coal Associates applied to the U. S. Geologic Survey in 1976 for its initial coal mining permit. The coal lease was assigned to Amca Coal Leasing, Inc., in February, 1977, which in-turn applied in 1978 to the Utah Division of Oil Gas and Mining for a mining permit. Centennial Coal Associates, and later Amca Coal Leasing continued to acquire additional coal leases. By 2010 successor Andalex held a total of 6,528 acres of coal leases as part of the Centennial Project.
July 1978
Tower Resources, Inc., first shows in online newspapers in July 1978, when the company applied to surface mine 74 acres in Hopkins County, Kentucky. The mine later became the Don-Bow Mine.
January 16, 1978
Carbon County approved Amca Coal Leasing's request to upgrade and improve County Road 299 (Deadman Canyon Road) as part of its planned coal mining operations. "Tower Resources, Inc. (Amca Coal Leasing, Inc.) has permission to use Carbon County Road 299 in conjunction with its mining activity and coal hauling and there are no restrictions as to the volume of traffic."
September 1978
Tower Resources, Inc., using letterhead of Amca Coal Leasing, Inc., began the permitting process and development of its proposed Centennial project by developing the Pinnacle mine in Carbon County. The documents were signed by Sam Quigley, shown in other source material as the vice president of operations for Andalex Resources, renamed from the earlier Amca Resources. The Pinnacle mine was on the site of the old Zions mine, abandoned in the 1940s, which mined a different coal seam.
March 1980
The first document concerning Tower Resources in Utah came in March 1980 when Tower Resources sent a letter to the federal Mining Safety and Health Administration concerning the ventilation plan for the Pinnacle mine.
Prior to mining by Tower Resources in 1980, several small operations had mined a considerable amount of coal over the past 70 years in the Deadman Canyon area, including the Hileman, Olsen, Star Point, and Blue Flame No.1 mines. This small scale mining ceased in the Deadman Canyon area in 1964. The original coal lease for 235 acres of what later became the Centennial Project was in the hands of private individuals beginning in 1925, and continuing until February 1, 1973, when it was assigned to Centennial Coal Associates, after a series of exploratory drill holes were completed in November and December 1971.
October 3, 1980
Mining operations in the form of mine development at the Pinnacle mine began. Tower Resources, Inc. had received final approval from regulators on September 5, 1980, following the required 30-day public comment period.
Tower Resources (later known as Andalex Resources) began mining operations in the Pinnacle mine October 1980. By late 1982, when the Apex mine was opened, Amca Coal Leasing was doing business as Tower Resources.
November 12, 1981
The federal Office of Surface Mining approved the mining plan of the Centennial Project. On March 12, 1991, the same office approved the mining plan to remove an additional 8.8 million tons of coal, on an additional 933 acres of federal coal leases.
Although research has not yet found the documentation, coal from the Tower mine was likely trucked to the C. V. Spur (later Savage Coal Terminal) on the former D&RGW south of Price, or possibly to the Wildcat loadout on Utah Railway.
July 1983
The Apex mine was still being developed and was not yet in production. An inspection in January 1985 found that the mine was in production, and loading trucks.
March 27, 1986
Tower Resources, Inc., was changed to Andalex Resources, Inc. The change included Amca Coal Leasing, Inc., also doing business as Andalex Resources, Inc. At this time Tower Resources became the Tower Division of Andalex Resources, Inc.
March 1988
Permit approvals for the Aberdeen mine commenced in March 1988. Surface facilities for the Aberdeen mine were completed early in 1990. At the time, Tower Resources was actively mining in the Lower Sunnyside (Apex Mine), Centennial (Pinnacle Mine), and Gilson (Pinnacle Mine) coal seams which lay above the Aberdeen coal seam. In 1989, surface construction began for the Aberdeen portals. The new portals were driven in a northwesterly direction into the coal seam crossing through old works that were mined in the 1930s. Longwall mining at Aberdeen Mine began in December 1995. Longwall panels are approximately 780 feet wide and up to approximately 8700 feet long.
By November 2003 the Apex mine had been closed and sealed. The crusher at the Pinnacle mine was moved to the Aberdeen mine.
January 2006
Andalex Resources closed the Pinnacle mine. (Salt Lake Tribune, October 7, 2006)
As of July 2007 the Apex Mine and the Pinnacle Mine had been worked out. The Apex Mine has been sealed at the portals. The Pinnacle mine was still being ventilated because the power to the Aberdeen mine ran into the Pinnacle mine from the substation and then dropped down to the Aberdeen Mine through a borehole connecting the two mines. There were no plans to produce any more coal from the Pinnacle Mine. Therefore, all existing and future mine production from the Centennial Project was solely from the Aberdeen Mine.
In March 2008, all activity at the Tower mine in Deadman Canyon (including the Aberdeen mine) was ceased and mining operations were idled.
March 28, 2008
UtahAmerican Energy ceased operations at the Tower mine on Friday March 28, 2008. The Tower mine had closed in August 2007 after six men had died in the same company's the Crandall Canyon mine, to allow an expert analysis of the geologic conditions in the Tower mine. The Tower mine reopened in January 2008. (KUTV.com, March 28, 2008)
April 3, 2008
Murray Energy closed the Tower (former Centennial Project) mine due to unsafe geologic stress conditions in the mine, which was 2,7500 feet deep. (Associated Press, April 3, 2008)
As of February 2010, all future mine production from the Centennial Project was to be solely from the Aberdeen Mine, closed since 2008.
October 16, 2020
Utah Land Resources -- Ownership of the Centennial mine (now known as the Tower mine) passed from UtahAmerican Energy Inc., a subsidiary of Murray Energy, to a new company, Utah Land Resources, a subsidiary of American Consolidated Natural Resources, the reorganized Murray Energy company which had declared bankruptcy in 2019. (Documents on file at the Utah Division of Oil Gas and Mining; the official date may be August 24, 2020, when the request was sent to DOGM)
Genwal Mine (1986-2007)
(Crandall Canyon) (Utah Coal Permit C0150032)
(Read more about the Andalex Genwal mine in Crandall Canyon)
West Ridge Mine (1999-2007)
(C Canyon, near East Carbon City and Sunnyside)
(Read more about the West Ridge mine)
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