While producers on a conference panel tried not to predict when consolidation in Central Appalachian mines would occur, they all agreed it would eventually come as it did with the Northern Appalachian and Powder River Basin markets. "The conversations are going on between coal companies and private equity firms," Dan Roling, CEO at National Coal, told attendees at McCloskey's Coal USA conference last week. "What catalyst it's going to take to make that occur is difficult to determine. But once it starts, you're going to see some significant combinations."
展开▼
