Arch Coal Inc. said it hopes to reopen its West Elk coal mine in Gunnison County within the next 10 days after being shut down from a smoldering coal fire.
The mine near Somerset has been closed for more than two months since smoldering coal caused a buildup of dangerous combustion gases.
St. Louis-based Arch Coal said gas readings inside the mine have been stable for several weeks, allowing the firm to restart ventilation equipment and resume electrical power.
Company officials and personnel from the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration entered the mine last Wednesday for the first time since its shutdown. Crews have made several more trips into the mine since then to assess gas levels and the condition of mining equipment.
The mine ships coal to about a dozen electrical power producers. Its largest customer is the Tennessee Valley Authority.
When the smoldering coal first was detected in late October, Arch said it did not expect a “protracted” outage. But levels of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen continued to rise, forcing a shutdown of the mine’s ventilation system and requiring additional injections of water, nitrogen, nitrogen foam and carbon dioxide to suppress the combustion.
Officials said the cause of combustion hasn’t been determined.
Despite the shutdown, West Elk’s 400 workers have remained employed during the closure. About 25 worked at Arch coal mines in Utah; the remainder stayed at West Elk to work on combustion supression and routine maintenance.
West Elk is a significant player in Colorado’s coal industry, ranking No. 3 in the state for coal production behind the Foidel Creek mine in Routt County and the Elk Creek mine in Gunnison County, said Stuart Sanderson, president of the Colorado Mining Association.
Arch Coal, the nation’s second-largest coal producer, said the mine shutdown and combustion supression efforts will lower fourth-quarter pre-tax earnings by an estimated $25 million to $35 million.
Staff writer Steve Raabe can be reached at 303-820-1948 or at sraabe@denverpost.com.
