TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – US coal-miner Massey Energy has completed another acquisition of metallurgical and steam coal reserves from bankrupt Appalachian Fuels, the company reported on Tuesday.

The deal, which was completed on November 13, followed an earlier transaction in October.

The latest acquisition included reserves in Barbour County, West Virginia, of about 15-million tons of high-volatile coal.

Massey also bought a number of permits that will help with establishing the infrastructure required to start production on the property.

"We continue to execute a strategy to acquire high-quality coal reserves in Appalachia and add to our dominant reserve share," said president Baxter Phillips, Jr.

“In particular, we are excited about adding coal reserves in Northern Appalachia to our growing portfolio. We expect the value of these reserves to increase significantly as conditions in the metallurgical coal market improve."

Massey has more than 2,3-billion tons of coal reserves, one-billion of which have metallurgical qualities and characteristics.

The Richmond, Virginia-based company has operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia.

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