US-based miner Consol Energy has reported that the Itmann metallurgical coal mining project, in West Virginia, will only ramp up to full run-rate production by the middle of the year, having suffered equipment delays, adverse geological conditions and a tight labour market in the final quarter of last year.

The third and final continuous miner was delivered in December.

“Although the ramp-up has been delayed, the underlying issues are expected to be relatively short-term in nature and are not expected to affect the long-term viability of the project,” the company says.

The Itmann preparation plant was commissioned in September, leading to the shipping of the first train of Itmann coal the following month. During the fourth quarter, Consol shipped nine trains of coal from the Itmann plant and sold 204 000 t of Itmann and third party coal.

“We believe we are past the geological challenges that were faced in the fourth quarter. On the marketing front, our Itmann product continues to be well received and we remain focused on securing new business with strategic customers in the domestic and export markets,” says Consol.

The company ploughed $100-million into the Itmann coal mine and preparation plant, which is a 900 000 t/y low volatile metallurgical coal mining operation with a 20-year mine life.

The project included the relocation of a state-of-the-art preparation plant to the Itmann project site. This doubled the capacity of the preparation plant, which provides additional upside for third-party processing and blending.

The project entails the development of a 900 000 t/y low-volatile metallurgical coal mining operation over a 20-year mine life.

The project includes the relocation of a state-of-the-art preparation plant to the Itmann project site. This will double the capacity of the preparation plant, which provides additional upside for third-party processing and blending.