The company will be represented in Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo and Singapore by Xcoal. All of the offices are established and active except Seoul.

Xcoal will sell Consol-branded coal of metallurgical grade from the Buchanan mine in Virginia and the Bailey mine in Pennsylvania.

Additionally, the company will exclusively market the thermal output from Consol’s northern Appalachian properties.

All of the coal will be shipped from Consol’s Baltimore Terminal in Maryland. The company’s web site states that 8.9 million tons were shipped from the terminal in 2008, 34% of which originated from its mines.

"There are several advantages for [the company] from this initiative – we’re leveraging the value of our low-vol Buchanan coal by blending it with our other coals that have met coal characteristics,” Consol chief executive Brett Harvey said.

“Xcoal's Asian marketing experience coupled with the Consol brand should enable us to capture more value for our shareholders.”

He also noted that Consol would be immediately established as a premium brand which would offer consistently high value for Asian customers.

"[It] creates a potent partnership between Consol and Xcoal that establishes a meaningful presence for Consol and a platform for brand growth in the world's most rapidly growing region.”