A large Caterpillar hauler takes a load of coal to a stockpile near the new coal barn at Kosse Mine. Although the mine has not officially opened, coal is being removed as workers dig a 100-surface-acre water treatment lake at the mine. (Journal photo/David Stone) BY THE NUMBERS

13,000

Round bales of hay that could be stored in the Kosse Mine's coal barn.

9.2 million

Tons of coal Kosse Mine is capable of producing in a year. It would fill 90 football fields 50 feet deep.

26 million

Trees Luminant has planted in 30 years of reclaiming land.

In a matter of months, a new coal mine eight miles east of Kosse will be providing fuel to a two-unit power plant near Franklin. Although the first load of coal won't be shipped for several months, the Kosse Mine already is a beehive of activity.

Construction began early last year in a large portion of Luminant's 10,000-acre mine. The main office building, maintenance bays and a massive coal barn are taking shape and a network of roads have been built linking future dig sites with a rail yard that will be used to transport coal to a new Energy Future Holdings' plant in Robertson County.

One of two Dragline excavators that will be used to remove dirt from dig sites at the Kosse Mine nears completion along Texas Highway 7 east of Kosse. The inset photo shows one of the 18-cubic-yard buckets the Draglines will use to move earth. (Journal photo/David Stone) One of two giant Dragline ex- cavators is nearing completion just south of Texas Highway 7, said Mine Engineering Manager Melissa Walker of Teague. Work has begun on the second.

Luminant spokesman Tom Kleckner said the Draglines that will be used at the Kosse Mine are not new.

"One is coming from a mine in Kentucky and the other from a mine in Alabama," Kleckner said. "It takes up to 18 months to break down, ship and reassemble a Dragline."

Later this year, one of the Draglines will move across Highway 7 to the mine's first dig location, according to Luminant spokesman Steve Jenkins.

"It will actually walk across the highway," Jenkins said. "The Draglines have large pads on each side that serve as 'feet.'"

Walker said Luminant will have 72 hours to get the monster digger across Texas 7, but most of that time will be used for preparations.

"Power lines will have to be taken down and the highway will be covered with at least eight feet of dirt," Walker said. "The dirt keeps the Dragline from tearing up the road."

She said the process probably will take less than 24 hours, but the state is giving the company a three-day window. Texas 7 will be closed and traffic will be rerouted around the mine while the Dragline is being moved.

The second Dragline will remain on the south side of the highway.

As large as a Dragline is, it is operated by a surprisingly small crew. The operator controls movements of the excavator bucket and "feet" with computerized controls that resemble a video game joystick, Walker said. The oiler keeps everything running correctly and performs maintenance while the machine is in operation. The third person operates a bulldozer and keeps the area around the Dragline clear. The Dragline crew works 12-hour shifts.

Coal stored at the Kosse Mine's coal barn will be transported by conveyer belt to this rail yard. Coal will be dropped into rail cars and shipped to a new power plant that is being constructed near Franklin. (Journal photo/David Stone) The Draglines are electrically powered. A power cord six inches in diameter connects the excavator to a substation that provides electricity to the excavator. It's the oiler's responsibility to keep the power cord clear of the Draglines pads.

The Draglines will be equipped with buckets capable of moving 18 cubic yards of dirt in a single scoop, Kleckner said. They will be used to remove dirt from the dig site.

Walker said coal at the Kosse Mine ranges from 20 feet to 120 feet deep.

"That's one of the reasons Luminant decided on mining here," she said. "It's economics: It's cheaper to mine shallow coal. The deeper you dig the more expensive it is."

Walker said the mine should be productive for 30 to 40 years.

"That's the plan for now," she said. "Of course that will be evaluated every year."

According to Walker, an average of about 25,000 tons a day will be mined at the Kosse facility, which will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

As part of construction, a 100- surface-acre lake is being dug to treat runoff water. Coal removed from the lake pit was trucked by "haulers" and stockpiled near the coal barn. Once the coal barn is finished, coal will be loaded onto a conveyer belt and stored under the barn's huge v-shaped roof. Once the mine begins shipping fuel to the power plant, coal will be moved from the barn to the rail yard by conveyer belt and dumped into railroad cars for the short journey south.

Luminant has built 11-miles of new rail and will use its own train and crew to ship coal, Kleckner said.

Walker said about two-thirds of the mine is in Limestone County and about a third is in Robertson.

About 300 people are working at the Kosse mine now, and most of those are tied to construction, Jenkins said. Another 2,000 construction workers are building the power plant.

Once the facilities are operational, between 175 and 200 people will work at the power plant and about 400 will work full time at the mine, Kleckner said.

"The project will create about 2,000 jobs," he said. "Those positions will include contractors, support personnel and workers hired by new businesses."

Luminant officials said Kosse is a good location for a mine because there are several other mines in the area and the workforce has mining experience.

He said construction on the power plant began after permits were approved in June 2007.

Kleckner said the plant will be fueled 100 percent by coal from Kosse Mine.

Luminant's work is not finished when the coal is gone, he said.

Once the coal is removed from a digging site, the dirt removed during mining is used to refill the pit, he said. The land is returned to its original shape, and ponds and hills that were removed during excavation are rebuilt. Reclaimed land has the same ratio of grasslands to forest as it did before mining activities began.

Over the years, Luminant has received about 90 awards for its reclaimation efforts, Kleckner said. The company has planted more than 26 million trees on 63,000 reclaimed acres.

Reclaimed land is eventually sold. Kleckner said it is often more productive than before mining activities began because the original, worn-out top soil has been replaced by dirt that once was deeper in the ground.