Alpha Natural Resources unit opening London office

In an effort to promote more coal sales in Europe, a subsidiary of Bristol-based Alpha Natural Resources Inc. is opening an office in London.

The subsidiary, Alpha Coal Sales International Ltd., has named Nick Ingham to head its London office He will be vice president of international hedging, sales and marketing.

Ingham has served in operations and strategy positions with European utilities for the past decade.

“Our intent is to build an export platform for U.S. thermal coal that has long-term potential,”  Alpha's Chief Commercial Officer Brian Sullivan said in a statement. “This is another step in moving us further down the value chain as we continue our model of direct customer contact.”

Alpha said its objectives in the European market include increasing customer interest in the company's thermal coal and its U.S. export capabilities.

Exports currently account for about 40 percent of Alpha's revenues.

Alpha, one of the largest coal suppliers in the U.S., has mining operations in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Wyoming,

It supplies metallurgical coal to the steel industry and thermal coal to customers on five continents.