Mine Plan Approval for Illinois Coal Mineral Rights Lease, Sugar Camp Mine No. 1

Franklin and Hamilton Counties, Illinois

Since 2011, TVA has conducted several environmental reviews of proposals to mine TVA-owned coal reserves underlying areas of Franklin and Hamilton counties, Illinois by Sugar Camp Energy LLC, with whom TVA has executed a lease to mine its coal reserves. TVA’s reviews have considered expansions of underground mining operations of the Sugar Camp Energy Mine No. 1 (Illinois Mine Permit No. 382) into areas of TVA-owned coal reserves. The State of Illinois must approve operations and expansions of Mine No. 1; mining of TVA-owned coal reserves by Sugar Camp Energy requires approval by TVA.

In 2011, TVA approved Sugar Camp Energy’s plan for Mine No. 1 to mine coal from approximately 2,600-acres of TVA holdings in Hamilton County, Illinois. In 2013, TVA approved a mine expansion to allow Sugar Camp Energy to mine additional coal reserves underlying an 880.3-acre area. In 2018, TVA approved another mine expansion into the Viking District #2 area, encompassing almost 2,250 acres in Franklin and Hamilton counties. In 2019, TVA completed a Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA) to review an 85-acre expansion of Mine No. 1 and issued a finding of no significant impact. In 2020, TVA issued a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision approving Sugar Camp’s application to mine approximately 12,125 acres of TVA-owned coal reserves in Illinois, as part of the Sugar Camp Mine No. 1 expansion.

On September 1, 2023, TVA issued a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register to prepare an EIS on the proposed expansion of mining operations to mine approx. 21,868 acres of TVA-owned coal reserves under Sugar Camp Mine No.1. The public scoping period closed on October 2, 2023. TVA will consider all comments received on the draft EIS. The Draft EIS is scheduled for release for public comment in fall 2024.