The production at the mine was suspended on 12 March 2013 when smoke was detected coming from the Orndoff air shaft. All employees were safely evacuated.
Nevertheless, the company has obtained approval from Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and other state agencies to recommence the operations at the mine with full production expected to begin on 20 May.
Consol Energy coal chief operating officer Jimmy Brock commended the efforts put in by mine management, federal and state agencies, contractors, and employees to safely extinguish the fire and seal the harmful location in the mine.
"On behalf of all CONSOL Energy employees, we want to acknowledge and send a special thank you to all those mine rescue team members who worked safely and compliantly to get the Blacksville No. 2 mine back in operation," added Brock.
Consol is planning to undertake proactive safety and compliance training for all its employees starting 20 May.
Meanwhile, the Blacksville No. 2mine is estimated to have a production capacity of 400,000 tons of coal per month.
