Cabot Corporation announces the opening of its new mine in Texas. This mine will produce lignite coal and supply Cabot’s adjacent activated carbon manufacturing facility in Marshall, Texas for an expected 50 years. Furthermore, it enables Cabot to continue to serve its customers’ activated carbon needs for the purification of air, water, and food.
The mine is part of Cabot’s strategic plan to assure long-term supply of high-quality activated carbon for the anticipated quadrupling of demand by coal-fired utilities. The mine will be operated by Caddo Creek Resources Company, a subsidiary of The North American Coal Corporation, and will generate over 40 new jobs. The mine is operational as of November 1, 2014 and is expected to produce lignite before the end of the calendar year. In preparation for the new mine, Cabot purchased an 8 million pound dragline that provides an economic advantage over traditional truck and shovel mining. The mine and dragline were inaugurated in a ceremony on November 3.
“Today’s opening of the new mine is a significant milestone for Cabot. We see this as not only a great opportunity for Cabot, but also an opportunity for regional development,” said Patrick Prevost, president and CEO, Cabot Corporation. “We have utilized lignite coal to produce our high-quality activated carbon since 1921. With this latest strategic investment, we are able to provide our customers with a strong assurance that we can supply our own raw materials and further ensure that we can provide superior, consistent and reliable solutions to meet our customers’ purification needs. The mine affords us unparalleled supply chain security and further extends our leadership position in the mercury emission control segment.”
Across the U.S. and Canada, many states have implemented regulations and standards to reduce mercury emissions as they can create environmental and health issues. Specifically, it is expected that compliance with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS) in the U.S. that is scheduled to take effect April 2015 will significantly boost demand for activated carbon solutions as many coal-fired utility companies will use activated carbon to reduce mercury emissions by up to 90 percent.
“This operation will provide a long-term, reliable supply of high-quality lignite coal for Cabot to produce the finest activated carbon products,” said Bob Benson, president and CEO of The North American Coal Corporation. “This is yet another example of our unique expertise in operating mines for our partners.”
As a leading supplier of activated carbon, Cabot is well positioned to be a strategic partner to coal-fired power plant owners and operators in mercury emission control today and in the future. Cabot is the only activated carbon manufacturer with multiple manufacturing sites dedicated to this application in North America, providing customers with a consistent source of supply and supply chain reliability. Cabot offers a full range of activated carbon services including rental systems, carbon reactivation, bulk delivery and change-out, carbon evaluation, as well as technical service and support to help customers meet their specific purification needs.
In addition to its role as a technology leader in mercury removal from flue gas, Cabot Norit Activated Carbon is recognized as the world’s largest and most experienced producer of activated carbon, which is used to remove pollutants, contaminants and other impurities from water, air, food, and beverages, pharmaceutical products and other liquids and gases in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
