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Other Events | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2018
Other Events [Abstract] |
Other Events | Other Events North Goonyella The Company’s North Goonyella Mine experienced elevated gas levels beginning in September 2018, followed by a fire in a portion of the mine. The underground mine and portions of the surface area at North Goonyella remain restricted to access through exclusion zones while work continues to seal the affected area. The Queensland Mines Inspectorate has announced an investigation into the events related to North Goonyella. The Company will cooperate fully with the investigation. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, the Company recorded $9.0 million in costs related to the events at North Goonyella and a provision of $49.3 million for expected equipment losses. This provision includes $40.2 million for the estimated cost to replace leased equipment and $9.1 million related to Company-owned equipment. This provision represents the best estimate of potential loss based on the assessments made to date. In the event that no future mining occurs at North Goonyella, the Company may record additional charges for the remaining carrying value of the North Goonyella Mine and additional leased equipment of approximately $284 million and $61 million, respectively. Incremental exposures include take-or-pay obligations and other costs associated with idling or closing the mine. The Company is pursuing an insurance claim against potentially applicable insurance policies with combined property damage and business interruption loss limits of $125 million above a $50 million deductible. Acquisitions On September 20, 2018, Peabody entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement (Purchase Agreement) to buy the Shoal Creek metallurgical coal mine, preparation plant and supporting assets located in Alabama (Shoal Creek Mine) from Drummond Company, Inc. (Drummond) for an aggregate purchase price of $400 million, subject to customary purchase price adjustments. The Purchase Agreement excludes legacy liabilities other than reclamation and the Company will not be responsible for other liabilities arising out of or relating to the operation of Shoal Creek Mine prior to closing, including with respect to employee benefit plans and post-employment benefits. The transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2018, subject to regulatory approvals and certain conditions precedent, including negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement with the union-represented workforce that eliminates participation in the multi-employer pension plan and replaces it with a 401(k) retirement plan. Peabody intends to finance the acquisition with available cash on hand. Joint Venture In 2014, the Company agreed to establish an unincorporated joint venture project with Glencore plc (Glencore), in which the Company holds a 50% interest, to combine the existing operations of the Company’s Wambo Open-Cut Mine in Australia with the adjacent coal reserves of Glencore’s United Mine. The Company expects the project to result in several operational synergies, including improved mining productivity, lower per-unit operating costs and an extended mine life. The joint venture is expected to be formed during the first half of 2019, subject to substantive contingencies, including the requisite regulatory and permitting approvals. At such time as control over the existing operations is exchanged, the Company will account for its interest in the combined operations at fair value. Divestitures In June 2018, Peabody entered into an agreement to sell approximately 23 million tonnes of metallurgical coal resources adjacent to its Millennium Mine to Stanmore Coal Limited (Stanmore) for approximately $22 million. The sale was completed in July 2018 and the Company recorded a gain of $20.5 million which is included within “Net gain on disposals” in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018. As of September 30, 2018, Stanmore has paid Peabody approximately $7 million, and the remaining balance, which will be paid over the subsequent ten months, is included in “Accounts receivable, net” in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet. On February 6, 2018, the Company sold its 50% interest in the Red Mountain Joint Venture (RMJV) with BHP Billiton Mitsui Coal Pty Ltd (BMC) for $20.0 million and recorded a gain of $7.1 million, which is included within “Net gain on disposals” in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2018. RMJV operated the coal handling and preparation plant utilized by the Company’s Millennium Mine. BMC assumed the reclamation obligations and other commitments associated with the assets of RMJV. The Millennium Mine will have continued usage of the coal handling and preparation plant and the associated rail loading facility until the end of 2019 via a coal washing take-or-pay agreement with BMC. In January 2018, Peabody entered into an agreement to sell its share in certain surplus land assets in Queensland’s Bowen Basin to Pembroke Resources South Pty Ltd for approximately $37 million Australian dollars, net of transaction costs. The necessary approval of the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board to complete the transaction was received on March 29, 2018, satisfying all the conditions precedent to the sale, and the Company recorded a gain of $20.6 million, which is included within “Net gain on disposals” in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2018. The Company had a 37.5% interest in Dominion Terminal Associates, a partnership that operates a coal export terminal in Newport News, Virginia that exports both metallurgical and thermal coal primarily to Europe and Brazil. On March 31, 2017, the Company completed a sale of its interest in Dominion Terminal Associates to Contura Terminal, LLC and Ashland Terminal, Inc., both of which are partners of the Dominion Terminal Associates. The Company collected $20.5 million in proceeds and recorded $19.7 million of gain on the sale, which was classified in “Net gain on disposals” in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations during the period January 1 through April 1, 2017. In November 2016, the Company entered into a definitive share sale and purchase agreement (SPA) for the sale of all of the equity interest in Metropolitan Collieries Pty Ltd, the entity that owns the Metropolitan Mine in New South Wales, Australia and the associated interest in the Port Kembla Coal Terminal, to South32 Limited (South32). The SPA provided for a cash purchase price of $200 million and certain contingent consideration, subject to a customary working capital adjustment. South32 terminated the agreement in April 2017 after it was unable to obtain necessary approvals from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission within the timeframe required under the SPA. As a result of the termination, the Company retained an earnest deposit posted by South32 which was recorded in “Other revenues” in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations during the period April 2 through September 30, 2017. In November 2015, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to sell its New Mexico and Colorado assets to Bowie Resource Partners, LLC (Bowie) in exchange for cash proceeds of $358 million and the assumption of certain liabilities. Bowie agreed to pay the Company a termination fee of $20 million (Termination Fee) in the event the Company terminated the agreement because Bowie failed to obtain financing and close the transaction. On April 12, 2016, Peabody terminated the agreement and demanded payment of the Termination Fee. Following a favorable judgment by the Bankruptcy Court, the Company collected the Termination Fee from Bowie. The Termination Fee is included in “Other revenues” in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations during the period April 2 through September 30, 2017. Asset Impairment As described in Note 2. “Emergence from the Chapter 11 Cases and Fresh Start Reporting” in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company adjusted the book values of its property, plant, equipment and mine development assets to their respective estimated fair values at the time of fresh start reporting. No asset impairment charges were recognized during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, three months ended September 30, 2017 or the period April 2 through September 30, 2017. During the period January 1 through April 1, 2017, the Company recognized asset impairment charges of $30.5 million related to terminated coal lease contracts in the Midwestern United States.

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