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Last updated on Friday, December 20, 2013
(CORNING) - The Viking Mine in southwestern Daviess County is closing.
Mike Grant of the Washington Times Herald reports, Peabody Energy has filed a notice with the state of its plans to shut down the entire mine operation. Company officials say they have not set an exact date for the shutdown but in the Federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, it announced the closing will be permanent and will begin sometime between December 31, 2013 and January 13, 2014.
The Viking Mine opened in 1988 and last year produced 1.3 million tons of coal and employed 110 people. Company officials say the mine has reached the end of its coal reserves. The company notice says the closing will impact 89 jobs, but Peabody is working with Viking employees to try and place them in positions with other company operations in the Midwest.
A company spokesman issued a statement saying a number of the employees have been offered placement at other Peabody operations and will be moving to their new rolls. The statement says the notice was given in advance to help those workers begin a smooth transition to new positions, and that the goal is to retain the skilled workforce.
Peabody Coal and its subsidiary Black Beauty have several mines in southwestern Indiana including the Bear Run Mine in Sullivan County and the Francisco Mine in Gibson County.
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