Following an announcement last April that it would close the operation forever, the mine’s new owner completed the last concrete barriers on a site of the country’s worst mining disaster in 40 years.

Alpha spokesperson Ted Pile told West Virginia’s Register-Herald the seals were being filled with dirt and the area was being reclaimed through active hydroseeding.

“We expect to be finished with all activities at Upper Big Branch within the next few weeks,” he said.

Alpha, which bought UBB operator Massey Energy in early 2011, coordinated the closing with the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training.

Alpha has given no reason for the mine’s closure although ILN understands UBB’s coal was close to exhausted and company subsidiary Independence Coal would take its place in the mining mix.

Also, Alpha would have faced a tough battle to bring the blighted mine back into production.

Upon announcement of the permanent closure, Alpha chief executive Kevin Crutchfield said the mine was a solemn reminder of why safety had to come before everything.

“Though two years have passed, everyone still has vivid memories of the tragedy and the suffering the miners’ families endured,” he said.

Final finishing touches are being made on the construction of the Upper Big Branch memorial monument and plaza in Whitesville, West Virginia.

The fully landscaped and completed memorial is expected to be dedicated as soon as next month.