Consol resumes coal production at Bailey mine, idles Enlow Fork

Consol Energy said production at its Bailey mine has returned to normal, after a two-week shutdown due to two employees testing positive for COVID-19, but the company is now temporarily idling its Enlow Fork mine, according to a statement issued Tuesday.

The Canonsburg, Pennsylvania-based company had curtailed production on March 30 at the Bailey mine for a two-week period to perform a precautionary deep cleaning and to determine if any other employees were at risk from exposure.

On Tuesday, Consol said the Bailey mine returned to a normal production schedule on April 13 and that "enhanced sanitization and social distancing measures, along with staggered shifts at the mine will continue to ensure the health and wellness of all personnel on site."

The company also said it was temporarily idling production at the Enlow Fork mine, "due to the weakness in coal demand and economic slowdown related to the pandemic."

"We will assess and monitor the ever-changing situation in the global marketplace and will evaluate options continuously, as we navigate through the pandemic," the statement said.

In 2019, Consol's Pennsylvania Mining Complex, which are made up of three mines – Bailey, Enlow Fork and Harvey – produced 27.29 million st of Northern Appalachian coal, according to US Mine Safety and Health Administration data.

The Bailey mine produced 12.22 million st of coal in 2019, while Enlow Fork produced a five-year high 10.04 million st, according to the data.

As of December 31, 2019, the Bailey mine's accessible reserve base contained 115.3 million st of recoverable coal with an average heat content of 12,890 Btu/lb and an average sulfur content of 4.36 lbs SO2/MMBtu, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The Enlow Fork mine had a reserve base of 324.5 million st of recoverable coal with an average heat content of 12,940 Btu/lb and sulfur content of 3.3 lbs SO2/MMBtu.