Exhibit 10(l)
Master Coal Purchase and Sale
Agreement
between
Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative
and
Rio Tinto Energy America Inc.
-1-
Master Coal Purchase and Sale Agreement
Index
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Article
1.
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General Terms and Definitions
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Article
2.
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Term
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Article
3.
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Quantity
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Article
4.
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Delivery and Transportation
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Article
5.
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Title and Risk of Loss; Equipment
Damage
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Article
6.
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Coal Quality Specifications
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Article
7.
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Sampling and Analysis
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Article
8.
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Weighing
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Article
9.
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Price and Price Adjustments
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Article
10.
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Invoices, Payments, Netting, Set off, and
Credit Ratings
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Article
11.
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Force Majeure
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Article
12.
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Records, Audits, Access
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Article
13.
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Default, Remedies, and
Termination
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Article
14.
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Notices
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Article
15.
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Cooperation
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Article
16.
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Warranty, Limitation on Liability, Duty to
Mitigate & Indemnification
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Article
17.
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Limitation on Waiver
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Article
18.
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Confidentiality
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Article
19.
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Entirety, Amendments
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Article
20.
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Successors and Assigns
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Article
21.
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Governing Laws
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Article
22.
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Interpretation
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Article
23.
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Resale to Local
College
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Article
24.
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Survival
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-3-
MASTER COAL PURCHASE AND SALE
AGREEMENT
This MASTER COAL PURCHASE AND
SALE AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is entered into and is
effective as of the 31 st day of July 2006, between Rio
Tinto Energy America Inc. (“RTEA”), a Delaware
corporation, and Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative
(“Minn-Dak”), a North Dakota cooperative. Both RTEA and
Minn-Dak may be individually referred to herein as a
“Party” or collectively as
“Parties”.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, each Party is engaged in
the sale and/or purchase of Powder River Basin (“PRB”)
Coal or other Coal. The Parties believe it will be mutually
beneficial to set the terms and conditions under which such Coal
sales and purchases may be made between them.
IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual
covenants and promises set forth hereafter, the Parties to this
Agreement, intending to legally bind themselves, agree now as
follows:
ARTICLE 1. GENERAL TERMS AND
DEFINITIONS
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1.01
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The terms of this Agreement shall
govern all purchases and sales of Coal between the Parties
(hereinafter “Transactions”) or options thereon during
the term of this Agreement unless the Parties expressly indicate
otherwise. All amendments, modifications, revisions and changes to
this Agreement or any related Transaction or option must be in
writing and signed by both Parties. If the Parties enter into an
option concerning the purchase and/or sale of Coal, the terms and
conditions of this Agreement and the Confirmation Letter shall
govern the Transaction once the option has been
exercised.
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1.02
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For individual Transactions, the
Parties shall enter into a written Confirmation Letter (hereinafter
“Confirmation”) that sets forth and defines the
following: the Buyer, the Seller, the price, price adjustments,
quantity, term, quality specifications, mine(s), and any other
Transaction-specific provisions mutually agreed upon by the
Parties. All Confirmations shall be in writing, signed by both
Parties. The Parties intend the provisions of each individual
Confirmation and the provisions of this Agreement be construed as
one single integrated agreement and that without a written
Confirmation the Parties would not otherwise enter into a
Transaction. Any inconsistency or conflict between provisions of
the individual Confirmation and provisions of this Agreement shall
be resolved in favor of any provisions of the
Confirmation.
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1.03
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Each of the following terms when
used in this Agreement will have the meaning given to it in this
section:
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a)
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“ Actual Btu
” means the monthly ton-weighted average as-received
calorific value (stated in Btu/lb.).
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b)
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“ Buyer
” means the Party to a Transaction who is obligated to
purchase and receive Coal, or causes Coal to be
received.
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c)
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“ Claim
” means all claims or actions threatened or filed that
directly or indirectly relate to the subject matter of this
Agreement, including but not limited to indemnity, the resulting
losses, damages, expenses, reasonable attorneys’ fees and
costs.
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d)
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“ Coal
” means any and all Coal to be sold by Seller and purchased
by Buyer pursuant to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement.
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e)
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“ Electronic
” means faxes, telegraphs, emails, and all other forms of
electronic data transfer.
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f)
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“ Standard
Btu ” means the standard calorific value as set forth
in a Confirmation (stated in Btu/lb.) and is the basis for a price
adjustment as described in Section 9.03.
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g)
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“ Seller
” means the Party to a Transaction who is obligated to sell
and deliver Coal or causes Coal to be delivered.
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h)
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“ Ton
” means 2,000
pounds avoirdupois .
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i)
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“Loading
Provisions” means the terms and conditions of Buyer’s
contracts or excerpts thereof that Seller has reviewed and
approved. The Loading Provisions are further described in Section
4.04 and attached as Exhibit A.
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ARTICLE 2. TERM
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2.01
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This Agreement shall begin on the
date first set forth above and shall continue in effect until
terminated by either Party upon sixty (60) days written notice to
the other Party, which right of termination shall be each
Party’s absolute right to exercise. Termination of this
Agreement under this Article shall not affect either Party’s
rights and obligations with respect to any Transactions that have
been agreed to in writing in a Confirmation prior to
termination.
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ARTICLE 3. QUANTITY
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3.01
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Buyershall be obligated to
purchase and pay for, and Seller shall be obligated to sell and
tender for delivery, the amount of Coal agreed to in a
Confirmation, except as may be limited by Article 11 of this
Agreement.
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3.02
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Unless otherwise limited in the
Confirmation, Buyer has the right to ship or use the Coal delivered
under this Agreement at any of Buyer’s locations or for any
such purpose Buyer designates.
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ARTICLE 4. DELIVERY AND
TRANSPORTATION
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4.01
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For each Transaction, Seller
agrees to tender to Buyer and Buyer agrees to accept from Seller
the quantity of Coal as provided in the relevant Confirmation.
Seller shall tender the Coal to Buyer in accordance with reasonable
monthly delivery schedules to be submitted by
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Buyer in accordance with the
Agreement and the Confirmation. Schedules shall be based on a
ratable monthly basis unless otherwise agreed to by both Parties.
In addition, Buyer shall provide Seller with monthly schedules at
least sixty (60) days prior to the beginning of each applicable
month. If the Seller objects to a schedule submitted by Buyer,
Seller shall notify Buyer of its objections within fifteen (15)
days of Seller’s receipt of such schedule and the Parties
shall work together in good faith to agree on a reasonable and
mutually acceptable schedule. The mine(s) used to source the Coal
supplied under this Agreement shall be any mine set forth in the
Confirmation.
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4.02
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Buyer shall supply the
appropriate unit train railcars. Said railcars shall be of a size
compatible with the loading requirements set forth in this
Agreement. Unit train sizes will normally vary from 105 to 135
railcars per train; however, depending on railcar availability,
shorter or longer trains may occasionally be operated by mutual
agreement.
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4.03
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Unless excused by Article 11 of
this Agreement, if Buyer fails over a quarterly basis to schedule
the appropriate unit trains for delivery of an amount of Coal
scheduled under a Transaction, Seller shall have the right at
Seller’s sole option to reduce the annual quantities of that
Transaction by the deficit from the scheduled amount. This right
shall be in addition to any other rights available to Seller
hereunder.
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4.04
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Seller shall cause Coal to be
loaded and delivered at the loading facilities into railcars
supplied by Buyer. Seller agrees to comply with the weighing and
railcar Loading Provisions. Said Loading Provisions are subject to
Seller’s ability to load the required net tonnages in
Buyer’s railcar without significant risk of spillage or
exceeding railcar limits and shall be in general compliance with
industry standards for the applicable coal region. Seller shall
have at least 48 hours notice of any changes to the Loading
Provisions. If the changes to the Loading Provisions are
inconsistent with Seller’s commitments as otherwise set forth
in this Agreement and Seller’s then current operating
practice, Seller shall not be liable for
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noncompliance with such changes
unless expressly accepted by Seller. Should the obligations as set
forth in this Article 4 not be met, and as a result, Buyer incurs
costs under its transportation agreement with the rail carrier as a
direct result of Seller’s not meeting its obligation
hereunder and such failure is not the fault of either Buyer or the
railroad, then Seller shall reimburse Buyer for any such costs as
set forth in Exhibit A.
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4.05
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The scheduled Coal shall be
F.O.B. loaded in Buyer-provided railcars at the delivery point
located at each individual mine (“Delivery Point”).
Buyer’s railcars and unit train shall be compatible with
Seller’s trackage, storage and loading facilities, and shall
be ready to load upon arrival at the individual mine. Seller shall
load each railcar at Seller’s expense and shall complete the
loading of all railcars in each unit train within four hours after
the first empty railcar is actually placed by the railroad under
the Seller’s loading chute. Unless excused by Article 11 or
due to actions of Buyer or Buyers rail carrier, Seller shall be
responsible for demurrage or other charges invoiced to Buyer by
Buyer’s rail carrier resulting directly from Seller’s
failure to load Buyer’s trains as provided above.
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4.06
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Seller is required to load each
railcar to the gross weight(s) designated in the Confirmation;
however, under no circumstances will the gross weight exceed the
maximum limit established by the rail carrier(s) for the railcar
type and for the designated train routes. Should Seller load any
railcar on Buyer’s behalf outside of these specified limits,
the Seller assumes any and all reasonable costs which may be
charged by the rail carrier(s) and paid by Buyer as a direct result
of such underloading or overloading of these railcars.
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ARTICLE 5. TITLE AND RISK OF LOSS; EQUIPMENT
DAMAGE
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5.01
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Title to the Coal and all risk of
loss shall pass to Buyer upon completion of loading all railcars in
each unit train at the Delivery Point.
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5.02
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Seller shall be responsible for,
and shall indemnify Buyer for, any and all direct reasonable costs
resulting from damage to: (i) Buyer’s equipment if such
equipment is damaged while on Seller’s property except to the
extent such damage is caused by the negligence or recklessness of
Buyer or its contracted rail carrier; and (ii) Buyer’s
equipment, including mobile railcars and stationary equipment at
Buyer’s electric generating station, if said equipment is
damaged as a result of non-Coal material having been interspersed
with the tendered Coal prior to leaving Seller’s mine
property.
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ARTICLE 6. COAL QUALITY
SPECIFICATIONS
If the Parties set forth coal
quality specifications in a Confirmation, the following Sections
6.01 – 6.03 shall apply with respect to those
specifications.
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6.01
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At the Delivery Point, all
tendered Coal shall be raw, substantially free of magnetic material
and other foreign material impurities, and crushed to a maximum
size as set forth in the Confirmation as determined in accordance
with applicable American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM)
standards.
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6.02
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If there are three (3)
Non-Conforming Shipments as defined in Section 6.04, whether
rejected or not, under a Transaction in any three (3) month period
or, if two (2) out of four (4) consecutive shipments under a
Transaction are Non-Conforming Shipments, Buyer may upon notice
confirmed in writing and sent to Seller, suspend future shipments
except those shipments already loaded into railcars. Seller shall,
within sixty (60) days, provide Buyer with reasonable assurances
that subsequent deliveries of Coal shall meet or exceed the
specifications set forth in the Confirmation. If Seller fails to
provide such assurances within that sixty (60) day period, Buyer
shall have the right to terminate the Transaction without further
obligation hereunder on the part of either party. Termination shall
be the sole remedy of Buyer under this Section. Buyer’s
waiver of this right for any one train shall not constitute
a
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waiver for subsequent trains. If
Seller provides such assurances to Buyer’s reasonable
satisfaction, deliveries hereunder shall resume and any tonnage
deficiencies resulting from suspension may be made up at
Buyer’s sole option subject to a mutually agreeable schedule.
Buyer shall not unreasonably withhold its acceptance of
Seller’s assurances, or delay the resumption of
shipment.
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6.03
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The Parties recognize during the
performance of a Transaction, legislative, regulatory bodies or the
courts may adopt environmental laws, rules, and regulations that
will make it impossible or commercially impracticable for Buyer to
utilize or to remarket Coal purchased under this Agreement. If, as
a result of the adoption of such laws, rules, and regulations or
changes in the interpretation or enforcement thereof, Buyer, in
good faith, decides it will be impossible or commercially
impracticable for Buyer to utilize or to remarket such Coal, Buyer
shall promptly notify Seller in writing. After receiving such
notification, Buyer and Seller shall promptly consider whether
corrective actions can be taken in the mining and preparation of
the Coal, in the operation of Buyer’s generating station, or
in Seller’s substituting different source Coal. If in the
Parties’ reasonable judgment such actions will, make it
impossible and commercially impracticable for Buyer to utilize or
to remarket tendered Coal without violating any applicable law,
regulation, policy, or order, Buyer shall have the right, upon
sixty (60) days notice to Seller, to terminate the Transaction
without further obligation on the part of either party. Termination
shall be the sole remedy of Buyer and Seller under this
section.
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If Rejection Limits are specified
in the Confirmation, this Section 6.04 shall apply.
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6.04
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If any Shipment of Coal triggers
any of the Rejection Limits specified in the Confirmation for a
Transaction (a “Non-Conforming Shipment”), Buyer shall
have the option, within twenty-four (24) hours of Buyer’s
receipt of the quality analysis of the Coal, of either (i)
rejecting such Non-Conforming Shipment prior to unloading the Coal,
or, (ii) accepting the Non-Conforming Shipment and in addition to
any quality adjustments outlined in the Confirmation, reducing
the
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price of Coal for such trainload
by $0.50 per ton. If Buyer fails to timely exercise its rejection
rights under this Section as to a Shipment, Buyer shall be deemed
to have waived such rights to reject with respect to that Shipment
only. Buyer’s failure to timely exercise such notice does not
constitute a waiver of its right to any penalty adjustment provided
for herein or in the relevant Confirmation. If Buyer timely rejects
the Non-Conforming Shipment, Seller shall be re
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