The Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana is the largest low-sulfur coal source in the US. Eight of the ten largest mines in the United States are located in the basin. Annual Production at North Antelope Rochelle was 107.7 million tons in 2012, 109.0 million tons in 2011, 105.8 million tons in 2010, and 109.3 million tons in 2015, making the North Antelope Rochelle the largest producer of coal in the United States. Recoverable reserves are 1,245 million tons. The average
grade of the coal shipped from the mine is , 0.2% sulfur, 4.40% ash, and 1.70% sodium (of the ash), making North Antelope Rochelle coal the cleanest in the United States. In 2012 the mine won an award from the Department of the Interior for its reclamation efforts over the life of the mine. Using the above figures, one hundred million metric tons of coal mined here are equivalent to of heat energy. For comparison, the uranium mined at
McArthur River uranium mine, the largest uranium mine in the world, would be equivalent (at a
CANDU-typical
burnup of 200 MWh/kg) to of thermal energy, but used for the more common types of nuclear reactors, the uranium mine produces less energy content than North Antelope Rochelle. ==References==