CONSOL Energy To Increase Capacity At Buchanan Mine

One of the nation’s largest underground coal mines is expanding production and will create 40 jobs.

CONSOL Energy will increase mining capacity at the Buchanan Mine by nearly 1 million tons of coal per year, according to a company news release issued Tuesday.

The expansion is expected to be completed in about three years. The increased production will create 40 jobs over the next two years, the release states.

According to CONSOL, the company will invest nearly $100 million in the mine and the construction work should boost the region’s economy.

The Buchanan Mine, near the Oakwood community, is larger than some small cities. It is one of the nation’s largest coal mines and among Virginia’s largest coal producers.

"The world wants what Buchanan County produces," John Zachwieja, vice president of the company’s central Appalachia operations, said in the release. "We think this is the right level of response to the world’s demand for our product."

The Buchanan Mine has been idled twice in the last few years, once when a blaze broke out and the mine had to be sealed. It was also shut down for several weeks when a series of roof falls disrupted the ventilation system.

Virginia’s total coal production for last year decreased and some industry experts cited the brief idling of the Buchanan Mine – which has more than 400 workers – as the major reason for the decrease.

The mine is back in full production.

The project will include upgrades to the coal preparation plant, which processes and cleans the coal for market. CONSOL also will improve the plant’s water delivery and treatment systems, including building a 7,200 ton coal storage silo and enhancing the coal haulage system.

"We are expanding the plant capacity by about 25 percent," Zachwieja said. "I expect that the plant improvements should be done this year. The rest of the work probably will get under way in the summer of next year."

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