A Jefferson County mine is one of eight Alpha Natural Resources sites that will be closing.


An official with the Jefferson County Economic Development group told 6 News that the Dora No. 8 site in Hamilton will be closed. Officials said three of the site's 41 employees will lose their jobs and the remaining workers will be transferred.


Officials said it will take about 45 days to seal the Hamilton mine.


On Tuesday, Alpha Natural Resources announced it is eliminating 1,200 jobs with the immediate closing of eight mines in Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.


Chief Executive Officer Kevin Crutchfield says the layoffs begin with the mine shutdowns Tuesday. The rest will come by the end of the first quarter. About 400 Alpha workers were laid off Tuesday and the other 800 layoffs are looming.


Crutchfield called it a difficult decision, but says it's a necessary part of shifting business away from U.S. power plants and toward overseas steel mills. Virginia-based Alpha will shift its focus from thermal coal, used in domestic power generation to metallurgical coal used in steelmaking.


Crutchfield also cites what he calls "a regulatory environment that's aggressively aimed at constraining the use of coal."


He says the new business strategy will cut production by 16 million tons by early 2013.


Company spokesman Ted Pile said the affected West Virginia operations are the Alloy deep mine near Powellton, the Alloy surface mine near Boomer, the Premium highwall mine near Gilbert and the White Flame Surface Mine near Wharncliffe.


The Virginia mines are Guest Mountain deep mines No. 8 and No. 9 near Norton, and Twin Star Surface Mine near Hurley.


Most workers may eventually be rehired at other locations or by replacing contractors. About 150 won't have such opportunities.