The news follows immediately on a decision by the miner to temporarily idle its Buchanan underground operation in Virginia and more than a month after a conveyor collapse stifled operations at Bailey-Enlow Fork’s preparation facility and mines.

Consol chairman and chief executive Brett Harvey said the Pennsylvania operation would be “up and running next week” at the Barclays Capital energy and power conference in New York as work continued on the still-incapacitated portion of the belt system.

In late July, two belt lines failed on the newly installed overland conveyor at the complex with no injuries and no cause of malfunction officially reported.

Mining resumed at 60% capacity in late August after one of the collapsed belts was returned to service.

Both Enlow Fork and Bailey, which extract steam coal from the prolific Pittsburgh 8 seam, consistently rank among the top producing mines in the US.

Enlow Fork totaled 10.2 million tons of output last year while Bailey produced 10.6Mt.

Thursday, Consol announced it would temporarily idle Buchanan and at least a portion of its Amonate mining complex in southern West Virginia.

The idlings which are expected to last 30-60 days were attributed to a drop-off in low-volatility, high-quality metallurgical coal.