Core Natural Resources said it is taking steps to temporarily seal the Leer South mine’s active longwall panel in order to extinguish isolated combustion-related activity. An underground fire broke out at the coal mine, located near Philippi, W.Va., on January 13.
“On behalf of the Core management team, I want to commend Leer South personnel for their exceptional efforts in managing a challenging situation safely and effectively, and I want to thank the regulatory agencies for their great support during this process,” said Core CEO Paul A. Lang.
“While we are disappointed that we may be losing around two quarters of longwall production at Leer South, we are confident we are taking the right steps to protect the mine, mining equipment, and infrastructure. We have a good understanding of where the combustion-related activity is occurring and are confident that this limited activity does not currently present a threat to the longwall equipment. Working closely and cooperatively with federal and state officials, we plan to temporarily seal the active longwall panel and apply water and nitrogen to extinguish this combustion-related activity, which should lead to the most expeditious resumption of mining.”
Core said the re-entry process will be multi-phased, beginning with the construction of ventilation controls followed by the resumption of continuous miner development. The company believes it will be able to resume longwall mining mid-year.
Source: Core Natural Resources