A ceremony was held late last week for Affinity Coal’s Affinity mine near Sophia in Raleigh County, according to the Associated Press.

Expected to begin production next July, the operation will feature four supersection continuous miner units capable of producing 1.5 million clean tons per year.

Rehabilitation includes improvements on two existing slopes and the sinking of two shafts as well as the construction of a 1000 ton per hour preparation facility onsite.

United Coal president Michael Zervos told media last week the company was investing $US115 million to rehabilitate the mine, formerly operated by Eastern Associated Coal and closed due to a fall in met coal demand.

The reopened mine will create 254 mining jobs for the region as well as another 1300 spinoff jobs.

“The Affinity complex will feature improved mineability, thicker coal seams and better quality coal than the Pocahontas No. 3 seam,” officials said on the company’s website.

“In addition, the low-vol products shipped from Affinity can be sent via CSX or Norfolk Southern, which provides a major transportation advantage when compared to competitors’ low-vol sources.”

Zervos told local media last week that Affinity has a reserve of 40 million tons and an expected lifespan of 25 years. It is coming to fruition now that the company is under the larger producer’s umbrella.

"About a year ago when our company United Coal was sold to Metinvest, that gave us a source of investment and they were very, very anxious to accelerate the opening of this mine,'' he told WSAZ-TV.

In total, United Coal holds about 165Mt of reserves and produces about 7.5Mtpa.

It has operations in Kentucky and Virginia, and is also planning a 2013 opening on a 300-worker Randolph County, West Virginia, underground mine of similar size to Affinity.