The longtime underground coal operation formerly known as Blacksville 2 has begun its permanent shutdown in northern West Virginia.
The Monongalia County mine, along the West Virginia-Pennsylvania border, began phase one of its shuttering on August 9. The phase will run through August 23.
The second phase of closure will take place from September 7-21.
In all, 180 workers will be permanently laid off.
The mine is owned by American Consolidated Natural Resources, which took over operations amid the bankruptcy of Ohio-based coal miner Murray Energy.
Murray and its late namesake, Robert E. Murray, purchased the mine along with four others, all longwalls, in 2013 from CONSOL Energy in a $3.5 billion deal.
In 2018, the mine produced about 4.4 million tons.
ACNR produces a combined 49 million tons of coal annually from its operations in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Alabama and Utah.
Source: West Virginia MetroNews