Peabody Energy Honored as Leading Coal Company in Past 30 Years

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Coaltrans World Coal Conference this week honored Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) as the leading coal company on the global stage for the past three decades.  Nearly 600 industry and academic leaders selected Peabody from among peers to earn the Coaltrans Coal Mining Company Award, an honor that marks the 30-year anniversary of the prestigious international gathering.  

The award recognizes Peabody's forceful advocacy to eliminate energy poverty, dramatic global expansion and innovative approach to climate solutions. Fredrick D. Palmer, the company's Senior Vice President of Government Relations accepted the award in Amsterdam on behalf of Peabody Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gregory H. Boyce.

"Peabody's mission is to be a leading worldwide supplier of sustainable energy solutions, which power economic prosperity and result in a better quality of life. And never has this mission been more important," said Boyce. "Peabody's ability to succeed and grow through multiple business cycles and ownership changes is a testament to our 7,000 employees... and a world that increasingly needs the energy that our product provides. My thanks go out to Coaltrans, the judges, our customers... and most of all our employees, who make greatness possible every day."

Since 1980, when Coaltrans began organizing global industry gatherings, Peabody expanded its international earnings contribution from virtually zero to approaching half of a much larger earnings base.  The company has grown to become the largest private-sector coal company in the world, with more than $6 billion in revenues, 9 billion tons in reserves, and high-tech operations around the globe. The company is a global leader in clean coal solutions, advancing multiple projects and partnerships to achieve the ultimate goal of near-zero emissions from coal.  Peabody also leads in environmental and social responsibility, earning more than 30 major honors for safety, stewardship and financial excellence in 2009 alone.  

This transformation accelerated under the leadership of Boyce. From 2003, when Boyce joined the company, to 2009, Peabody achieved a total shareholder return of 533 percent, outperforming the S&P 500 by 22 times.  Peabody built out its Australia platform to capitalize on growing demand throughout the Pacific Rim; advanced strategic joint ventures, partnerships and other business initiatives around the world; and expanded international coal trading and brokerage activities from offices in China, Australia, Mongolia, Singapore, Indonesia, Venezuela, the United Kingdom and the United States.  The company today ships eight tons of coal a second to customers in 23 nations on six continents.

The Coaltrans organization is globally recognized for producing highly regarded conferences, exhibitions and training courses for the international coal industry. The organization routinely attracts top industry executives to present papers on new developments and emerging trends in the global coal and energy sectors.

Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) is the world's largest private-sector coal company and a global leader in clean coal solutions. With 2009 sales of 244 million tons and $6 billion in revenues, Peabody fuels 10 percent of U.S. power and 2 percent of worldwide electricity.

SOURCE Peabody Energy