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Cottonwood/Wilberg Mine
COTTONWOOD/WILBERG MINE - Active Operation, Permit ACT/015/019
The Cottonwood/Wilberg coal mine is located within the Wasatch Plateau Coal Field, approximately 12 miles northwest of Orangeville, Utah. Coal mining started in the 1890's in the Wilberg area. Cyprus Wilberg conducted mining in the Wilberg Mine until 1945. In 1958, the Wilberg Mine was acquired by Peabody Coal Company. In March 1977, Utah Power and Light acquired the Wilberg Mine from Peabody Coal, and was officially listed as lessee on September 1, 1977. In 1958, the Wilberg Mine was divided into two separate and independent mines: the Cottonwood and the Wilberg. Because these mines share surface facilities, the two mines formed the Cottonwood/Wilberg coal mining operation. The Cottonwood/Wilberg Mine was operated by Utah Power and Light Company until 1989 when the merging between PacifiCorp and UP&L took place. In 1990, Energy West Mining Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of PacifiCorp, replaced the UP&L Mining Division as operator of its mines - Cottonwood/Wilberg, Deer Creek, Des-Bee-Dove, and Trail Mountain. The Cottonwood/Wilberg Mine Complex encompasses approximately 10,000 acres with a combination of fee, federal, and state leases.
Today the Cottonwood/Wilberg Mine only acts as a transfer station for the coal produced from the adjacent Trail Mountain Mine. Coal is transferred via beltline through the Cottonwood/Wilberg Mine to the surface loading facilities. The coal is loaded onto trucks and hauled to the Hunter Power Plant where it is used to produce electricity.
