The deal was made possible after Duke installed sulfur dioxide emission scrubbers on some of its plants that allow compliance with emissions standards.

Consol chief J Brett Harvey said the deal was a further indication that demand for Northern Appalachia coal will grow as power generators invest in scrubber technologies.

Rail shipments of the coal supplied through several Consol subsidiaries will begin in 2007.

Harvey said the southeastern region of the United States was seen as a growth market as the number of installed, coal-fired electric generating capacity that is scrubbed is expected to double in the next five years.

Consol did not provide details on volumes, simply describing the deal as a multi-year, multi-million tonne coal sales agreement.