at the power plant this unit and its twin unit no 4 carry nameplate capacity ratings of 755 megawatts but experience indicates that each can be operated to a maximum capacity of 800 megawatts to the extent that these units are operated at load factors exceeding 755 megawatts there would be an increase in the overall rate of consumption of fuel the aggregate nameplate rating of the five units comprising the total plant is 2,085 megawatts the navajo mine's entire output is presently committed to supplying the coal requirements of the four corners power plant under long-term contracts this is a base load plant designed to be operated at or near its full rated capacity as continuously as is practicable operation of the plant to date has not reached the load factor originally anticipated because of excessive downtime for mainten ance and adjustment with a corres pondingly reduced burn rate or consumption of fuel early in the new fiscal year each of the first three generating units will be shut down briefly for installation of improved air pollution control equipment the larger units 4 and 5 will be out of operation for approximately one month each for normal annual maintenance these shutdowns are expected to result in some reduction in navajo's deliveries and earnings for the fiscal year 1972 of the 1.1 billion tons of coal underlying utah's navajo leasehold approximately 330 million tons are dedicated to supply the fuel require ments of the four corners plant over a period of 35 years this term may be extended to 50 years at the option of the utilities 800 million tons of coal reserves together with water avail able under a purchase agreement with the department of the interior are as yet uncommitted studies are in progress to determine the technical and economic feasi bility of producing synthetic gas in commercial quantities from these reserves in october 1971 utah international pacific lighting service company and texas eastern trans mission corp entered into an agree ment for the conduct of such studies with completion scheduled for july 1 1972 utah will hold the uncom mitted coal and water available until that date based on the results of the feasibility studies if favorable pacific lighting and texas eastern would consider constructing one or more gasification plants utilizing the lurgi process on a site adjacent to utah's navajo leasehold it is pres ently estimated that each of such gasification plants would consume 7.5 million tons of coal per year coking cool utah development company pro duces coking coal from two mines located in central queensland aus tralia its wholly owned blackwater mine began export shipments in jan uary 1968 the new goonyella mine in which utah development company and mitsubishi development com pany pty ltd hold interests of 85 and 15 respectively began pro duction and shipments in 1971 for the fiscal year 1971 blackwater shipments were 2.8 million long tons as compared with 3 million tons in the prior year production and ship ments were interrupted in 1971 by both industry-wide and local strikes and strikes against the state-owned railroad in june 1971 increases were nego tiated in the quantities of coking coal to be shipped to japan from the blackwatec mine under long-term contract at a price that raised the overall average price the new agree ment provides that deliveries in 1972 will be increased by 700,000 tons to a total of 3,250,000 tons yearly and that the average price of the total tonnage will be raised to approxi mately 12.50 a ton beginning january 1 1972 as compared with the former price of 10.85 a ton in 1973 the volume of shipments will rise further to 3,550,000 tons annually the price above left in goonyella mine opening ceremony on november 5 the premier of queensland the hon j bjelke-petersen r responds to presentation by mr a m wilson 1 president of utah development company mr chujiro fujino president of mitsubishi corporation is seated at left mr e w littlefield chairman of utah development company and utah interna tional is at right obove right his excellency the governor general of australia sir paul hasluck officially opens goonyella-hay point rail road as mr a g lee queensland railways below on a sunny day with coal prepara tion plant as backdrop goonyella opening drew an interested audience