Black Castle Surface Mine

Black Castle Surface Mine is a surface coal mine located near Sylvester, in Boone County, West Virginia. The mine is operated by Black Castle Mining Co., a subsidiary of Massey Energy. The mine had 252 workers, operating six days per week and producing an average of 11,700 tons of coal daily from six separate pits.

In April 2009 Massey idled the Mine, citing "market conditions." A skeleton crew is currently keeping the mine going. Massey Energy Executives plan to take a look at the overall mine plan. The goal is to continue to bring small groups of workers back as demand increases. In June 2012 Alpha said it was scaling back production at the Black Castle Surface Mine as well as the Republic Surface Mine, due to a declining 2012 export market for Europe.

Mine Data

 * MSHA ID:	4607009
 * Operator:	Black Castle Mining
 * Controller:	Massey Energy Company
 * Union:
 * County:	Boone
 * State:	WV
 * Latitude:	38.01
 * Longitude:	-81.57
 * 2007 Production (short tons):	1,337,541
 * Coal Type:	Bituminous
 * Mining Method:	Underground
 * Mine Status:	Active
 * Average No. of Employees:	 101

Contact Details
Black Castle Mining Co. Sylvester, West Virginia

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