Coronado announces $169M coal mining expansion

Coronado Global Resources Inc., an Australian producer of metallurgical coal, will invest $169.1 million to expand coal mining operations at its Buchanan Mine Complex, located about 10 miles southeast of Grundy in Buchanan County. The expansion will see the mining operation add 181 jobs, bringing its total workers at the site to 781, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday.

Coronado will increase capacity at the mine to meet the growing demand for metallurgical coal, which is used in steel production. The company began production at the Buchanan Mine Complex in 1983 and started longwall mining operations on the site in 1987. Last year, the Buchanan operation was the largest metallurgical coal-producing mine in the central Appalachian region.

“Coronado’s worldwide operations produce the highest quality metallurgical coal used in steel making,” Coronado CEO Gerry Spindler said in a statement. “We are committed to our Buchanan operation in Virginia and see great potential for capitalizing on the growing demand for steel, not only for construction and transportation infrastructure but also [for] renewable energy component parts.”

In addition to the Buchanan mine, Coronado has operations at the Logan Mine Complex in West Virginia and the Curragh Mine Complex in the Bowen Basin in Queensland, Australia. The company also operated the Greenbrier Mine Complex, a West Virginia mining complex that has been idle since April 2020 and is undergoing a reclamation process. Coronado idled its U.S. mines and temporarily furloughed workers in 2020 in response to pandemic-sparked global economic downturns.

“Coronado Global Resources’ major expansion is a win-win, creating 181 high-paying jobs in the resilient Buchanan community and increasing Southwest Virginia’s production of an essential component for the steel industry,” Youngkin said in a statement. “We value our long-term corporate partnership with Coronado and look forward to the economic benefits that will stem from this tremendous announcement.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Buchanan and Tazewell counties and InvestSWVA to secure the project. Youngkin approved a $3.525 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist the two counties. Funding and services to support employee training will be provided through VEDP’s Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

“Coronado’s additional investment in its Buchanan operation and its skilled workforce demonstrate a commitment to ensuring Virginia remains the energy capital of the East Coast,” state Sen. Todd Pillion, co-chair of InvestSWVA, said in a statement. “Our team is proud to have partnered with Coronado’s executive leadership in a retention and growth strategy that will supply the world’s steel manufacturers with the highest-quality met coal available in the global market.”