In a statement to local newspaper the Salt Lake Tribune, the Price-based subsidiary of Murray Energy said that 30 employees from its Tower mine, currently idled for a review of engineering and ground control studies to ensure its safety, will work temporarily at the nearby West Ridge operation.

The company plans to keep 20 workers at Tower, which suspended production August 27, for upkeep of underground operations ready for a more efficient start-up. The company is also working to modify longwall equipment at the complex, the newspaper said.

While no date for reopen has been made available, Tower is expected to re-commence production once the study wraps.

Tower lost 172 of its workers to layoffs at its August idling. More than 200 continue to work at West Ridge, both of which are in Carbon County about 2 hours south of Salt Lake City.

Carbon County commissioner William Krompel told the paper last week while jobs were still in limbo that more layoffs would be "a major setback for us…When there are layoffs in a key industry like coal mining, it has a domino effect throughout the county".

"Murray Energy hopes that this will be a temporary situation and that the company will be able to rehire all employees at some time in the future," according to a company statement obtained by the outlet, adding that Tower and Crandall Canyon's workers have been offered "full employment at other mines".

Keep watching International Longwall News for further information on the UtahAmerican properties.