“Beacon Energy Corporation has begun additional negotiations for coal mining rights on a separate parcel of land consisting of approximately 270 acres,” company president Adam Marek said Thursday.

“In total, the company will then control/own 100 per cent of mining rights for over 1000 acres of coal, spanning across three different municipalities in western Pennsylvania.”

In an interview with ILN, Marek said the purchase was made “to enhance our portfolio of energy properties” and that Beacon declined to make an offer on any post-mining land rights.

“We're interested in properties where the coal was not mined or was mined in a manner where present technology would allow us to reap benefits that were not available in the past,” he said.

“I only want to focus on operations that will create positive revenues for our company's energy operations.”

Beacon Energy management believes that the companies Beacon may consider for a joint venture, and which will actually perform the mining, will be able to extract via a longwall “for several years to come” from the Upper and Thick Freeport coal seams in the western region of the state.

Last week, BRIC announced it had negotiated to acquire a 950-acre mining property, but Marek said that after further talks and investigation its binding letter of intent to purchase will include just 750 of the initial 950 acres offered.

“Some of the rights would not have benefited our company, so all parties have mutually agreed to our revised offer," he noted.

Beacon Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of BRIC, will be the legal owner of the properties.

Pennsylvania is the sixth largest US coal producer at 29 billion tons annually.