Buchanan BedrockSearchMenu
Trail: Money, work & the land · step 2 of 8

Coal: still the engine

By Bedrock Desk

Money, work & the land

1 · Short version2 · Full story (2 min)3 · Dig deeper (4 sources)

1The short version

Coronado Global Resources' Buchanan Mine Complex produces metallurgical coal, the kind used to make steel, not to burn for power. After an expansion, it posted record first-half 2026 run-of-mine output of 4.7 million tonnes . In the third quarter a geological fault on the southern longwall cut output to about 1.8 million tonnes before normal advance rates returned; U.S. met coal sold for about $177 a tonne in Q3 while U.S. mining cash costs rose to about $142 a tonne .

Got the gist? Keep going for the full story, or share this with someone who should know.

2The full story

Why that matters locally. A roughly $35-per-tonne margin is thin for an underground longwall operation, and met coal prices follow global steel demand, not local politics. When the mine has a bad quarter, county tax revenue, the Coal Road Fund, and a lot of household paychecks feel it. Coronado's mineable coal near the old Twin Valley school is also a factor in what can be built there[19].

A small church and home on a hillside near Keen Mountain, Buchanan County, April 1974
A small church and home on a hillside near Keen Mountain, Buchanan County, April 1974. Credit: Jack Corn, U.S. EPA DOCUMERICA via National Archives, public domain

3Dig deeper: every source

Every bracketed number above links to its source. Here they all are in one place. If one doesn't say what we said, tell us.

  1. announcements.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20260729/pdf/0724y527j0v88z.pdf
  2. kalkinemedia.com/au/news/announcements/coronado-global-resources-posts-record-q3-2026-rom-
  3. virginiamountaineer.com/2026/09/23/energy-project-eyed-for-former-twin-valley-high-site-20
  4. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SMALL_CHURCH_AND_HOME_PERCHED_ON_A_HILLSIDE_NEAR_KEEN_MOUN

Was this useful?

Send feedback. One question, no name needed. Report a correction.