CANONSBURG, Pa. — Core Natural Resources has announce it has sealed up its Leer South mining operation for a second time after a mine fire broke out underground at the facility in Barbour County back in January.
The company, in a press release Monday, gave an update on the steps taken in the wake of the fire. The mine was opened back up June 10th on schedule. An inspection of the longwall mining equipment at the face of the mine revealed no damage to the equipment Workers were able to rebuild the ventilation system inside the mine and restore hydraulic pressure to the longwall equipment. Officials say as anticipated, the longwall was largely unaffected by the combustion and the systems were all operational and in good shape.
However, last week, June 26th, the operators say high levels of carbon monoxide were detected in the mine and the call was made to pull miners out again and restore pumpable seals to the affected areas in the wake of the increased carbon-monoxide. Those increased levels would indicate combustion is still happening somewhere inside the mine.
“The Core team continues to do an admirable job of addressing the situation at Leer South in a safe and efficient manner, and we want to again thank federal and state regulatory officials for their invaluable assistance,” said George J. Schuller Jr., Core’s senior vice president and chief operating officer in the press release. “While recent developments are expected to delay the restart of the longwall, we are encouraged by the condition of the mine and related infrastructure, and optimistic about the prospects of resuming longwall production during the fourth quarter.”
The company’s losses as a result of the underground combustion are being adjusted by Core’s insurance carrier.
Core is reiterating its 2025 coking coal sales volume guidance despite the delayed restart of the Leer South mine and expects to provide a more detailed update on ongoing efforts at Leer South in its second quarter earnings release in early August.