Mines affected by the impending shutdown are the Red Hawk Nos. 1, 4 and 6 operations in eastern Kentucky’s Floyd County. The mines are part of the Spurlock complex in Floyd and Magoffin counties in eastern Kentucky. Spurlock, acquired by Blackhawk Mining in 2010, uses both underground and surface mining methods and produces PCI, steam, stoker, and specialty coals for both the domestic and international steel market as well as electric utilities and industrial
end-users.
According to Jesse Parrish, a Blackhawk Mining vice president, the Blackhawk No. 4 surface mine in Floyd County, also part of Spurlock, will remain in production. Blackhawk No. 4 produced 82,994 tons of coal in the first quarter of 2016 and 272,169 tons in 2015, federal Mine Safety and Health Administration figures show. It has about 27 employees.
Parrish said the Red Hawk closings, affecting approximately 200 employees, will not impact Blackhawk Mining’s plans to produce about 16 million tons of steam and metallurgical coal this year.
The company temporarily idled three other eastern Kentucky surface mines — Rowdy Gap, Spencer Fork and Thunder Ridge — in April. They are part of the Pine Branch business unit acquired by Blackhawk Mining in 2012 from Pine Branch Coal Sales.
