A spokeswoman told ILN the producer was phasing in a planned closure for the operation near Corning, Daviess County in Indiana but could not confirm a precise date for the final idle.
The closure of the mine, open since 1988, will be permanent.
Local media reported that miners’ federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act notifications provided a range for lay-offs between December 31 and January 13.
“We provided as much advance notice as possible to allow employees to begin planning a smooth transition to new positions and we are pleased that a number of employees have been offered placement at other Peabody operations and will be moving to their new roles,” the spokeswoman said.
“Our goal is to retain our skilled workforce.”
Peabody has already submitted its shutdown plans with the state of Indiana.
Viking produced 1.3 million short tons last year with a staff of 110.
It trucked to customers, including electricity generating and industrial firms Indianapolis Power and Light, Hoosier Energy, Eli Lilly and Company and Duke Energy.
