Fortunately, Walter Energy only suffered minor weather-related impact, according to Walt Scheller, president of U.S. operations, Walter Energy. “We experienced several large tornadoes near our Alabama operations,” Scheller said. “We had one injury at a surface mining operation which required first aid treatment, but thankfully, we have no other reports of injuries to our employees at this time.
“Both the No. 4 and No. 7 mines avoided direct impact by the tornadoes, but they experienced power outages which have temporarily impacted production. We expect production to resume as soon as all power is restored and any related underground issues are resolved,” Scheller said.
“Our surface mining operations suffered varying degrees of damage, mostly superficial with the exception of our Taft Choctaw mine, where storm-related damage cut power to the mine and its electrically operated dragline,” Scheller said. “At this time, we are uncertain how long it will take to restore power to this facility. Our metallurgical coke plant in North Birmingham was unaffected by the storms and is operating normally.”
