Massey wants to restart Upper Big Branch Mine
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Erica Peterson Investigations continue at Upper Big Branch, but Massey is seeking permission to restart the mine. |
July 28, 2010 ·
Massey Energy could resume mining in the Upper Big Branch mine within six months.
Massey would build a new entrance into Upper Big
Branch, and the company's CEO Don Blankenship told analysts Wednesday that
production would start at perhaps 20,000 tons a month.
Massey also wants government permission to restart two
sections in the far southern reaches of the Raleigh County mine. That area was untouched by the blast and Blankenship estimates
it could produce 600,000 tons of coal annually.
Massey has been scrambling to replace Upper Big
Branch's high-priced metallurgical coal - a key ingredient in
steel manufacturing.
Massey lost $88.7 million in the second-quarter of
this year.
A investigation continues into what caused a deadly explosion on April 5 inside
the Upper Big Branch mine.