 The mine's average annual production over 1997–2001 was 4.4 million short tons per year; average annual production over the life of the mine was 4.3 million short tons per year.Officials of TransAlta Centralia were planning to increase annual production at the mine to more than 5 million tons per year and were looking at another 25 years of production from the mine.Coal production in 2001 at the Centralia Mine came from 4 open pits.