Coal mining company to lay off 118 in Southwest Virginia

Wellmore Energy Co., a metallurgical coal mining company, is again planning to lay off workers in Buchanan County.

The company plans to lay off 118 workers across several locations, according to notices sent in early October to the state in compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.

In August, Wellmore notified the state it planned to lay off 72 workers in Buchanan County in September.

A subsidiary of United Coal Co., a Tennessee-based metallurgical coal company, Wellmore’s operations include two company-operated underground mines, one company-operated surface mine, seven contract mines, three shops, two preparation plants, rail-loading facilities, a lab and an administration office, according to United Coal’s website.

According to notices to the state dated Oct. 6, Wellmore plans to lay off: 95 employees at its Paw Paw 2 South Operation in Big Rock; 12 employees at its preparation plant in Big Rock; eight employees involved in administrative support operations at a Grundy location; two employees at its Surface Minerals No. 1 site in Grundy; and one employee at its Elk Creek Surface operation in Hurley.

The layoffs will begin Dec. 6 and be finished by Dec. 19. According to Wellmore’s letters to the state, the layoffs are expected to be permanent, and the affected employees do not have bumping rights and are not represented by any union.

United Coal and its parent company, Ukraine-based mining and steel company Metinvest Group, did not return requests for comment.

Wellmore produces approximately 1.8 million tons of coal, according to United Coal’s website. Metinvest Group bought United Coal in 2009.