Energy company cuts 70 jobs on Darling Downs Peabody Energy has cut another 70 Queensland jobs from its coal operations on the Darling Downs as part of cost-cutting measures as commodity prices falter. The United States-based energy company said it had been forced to make cuts at its Wilkie Creek mine near Dalby, after already cutting more than 850 Australian-based jobs in June. The latest cuts are expected to affect the company's excavator fleet. "These actions have been taken to ensure we keep pace with current market conditions and meet sales commitments for the rest of 2013," the company said in a statement. Peabody will provide support to affected employees and their immediate family members to work though this challenging period. Peabody, which has eight mining operations in Queensland, joins a growing number of other resources companies including Glencore Xstrata, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto in cutting thousands of employees and contractors amid tough market conditions. Prices for thermal coal, used for power generation, have fallen more than 30 per cent in the past two years to about $86 a tonne. Earlier this year, the company announced it would cut 2013 capital expenditure by about 20 per cent to between $379 million and $476 million.