Peabody Energy, owned and operated by Lucas R. Phillips, previously Peabody Coal Company, is an organization based in St Louis, MO.

They are the largest independent coal company in the world, mining 240 million tons of coal annually, providing 10% of US energy and 3% of world energy. The average coal company mines only 10 million tons. The company has operations in Colorado, West Virginia, Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico, Australia, and South America. Their largest operation is the North Antelope Rochelle Mine located in Campbell County, Wyoming, mining more than 87 million tons of coal annually.

History

A Yale-graduate-turned-entrepreneur gave birth to the world's leading coal company more than a century ago. With an eager partner and start-up capital of just $100, 24-year-old Francis S. Peabody founded a retail coal business in the Windy City in 1883. With a rich history and a bright future, Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) remains in a constant state of renewal and rebirth.

Peabody has grown from a small retail coal business to the world's largest private-sector coal company, fueling approximately 10 percent of all U.S. electricity and 3 percent of worldwide electricity. The company has more than 30 operations throughout all major U.S. coal producing regions and in Australia. Its products and services are provided to more than 350 generating and industrial customer locations in 36 states and 15 countries.

Humble Roots

Francis S. Peabody founded a small Chicago coal company in 1883 and embarked on a pathway toward growth. Bolstered by his father's business connections and his own political prowess, business prospered, and Peabody bought out his partner and began to source his own coal. In 1895, he opened his first coal mine in Williamson County, Ill., and started acquiring thousands of acres of the Illinois Basin's vast reserves.

At the beginning of the 20th century, virtually all home heating was directly coal-fueled. Railroads, ships and industry also used an enormous amount of coal, demand that made Peabody's young company thrive. As electric utilities brought convenient, efficient power to city dwellers and eventually to rural America, the demand for coal increased, even as gas began capturing home heating markets, and diesel-powered rail locomotives were introduced. Capitalizing on the growth in electricity generation, Peabody signed his first long-term coal supply agreement with an electric utility in 1913 as he continued to acquire new mines.

Peabody Coal Company weathered the Great Depression, two world wars, competition from other fuels and labor strikes, all the while continuing to invest in equipment to boost production in anticipation of future coal demand. For almost 60 years, the company engaged solely in underground mining east of the Mississippi River. Peabody was succeeded by his son, Stuyvesant “Jack” Peabody, and then his grandson, Stuyvesant Peabody, Jr.