Jan 14, 2016 2 min read

Consol Energy will temporarily idle one its five longwall mining machines at its Bailey mining complex near Enon.

The action will affect about 200 employees but will not result in any layoffs, Consol spokesman Brian Aiello said in an email response to questions.

All affected employees will have the opportunity to accept other jobs within the complex, he said. Affected employees were notified of the action Wednesday afternoon.

This is simply a temporary measure, Aiello said, resulting from the warm winter weather. He noting 93 percent of the coal expected to be mined this year at the Bailey complex is already under contract.

The idling of the longwall was designed to optimize the company’s operating schedule and better coordinate customer delivery schedules with inventories, he said.

“Our production guidance has not changed,” Aiello said.

The company announced last month it had signed contracts to sell 10.8 million tons of coal during the next three years.

The agreements, along with 650 thousand tons of additional commitments for 2016, increase the sold positions for the company’s Pennsylvania operations in 2016, 2017, and 2018 to 93 percent, 61 percent, and 49 percent, respectively, it said.

In issuing its 2016 capital budget last week, Consol announced it had lowered its sales expectations for the year because of low prices and demand.

The company said then that it was working with its customers on delivery schedules and making any necessary operational decisions to reflect current conditions.

“Although the timing of shipments creates quarter-to-quarter volatility, we expect the committed tons will be shipped,” Jimmy Brock, chief executive of CNX Coal Resources GP LLC, said then.