NEW YORK — SunCoke Energy Inc. will idle Dominion Mine No. 36 in Virginia and lay off 90 workers.

The Lisle, Ill.-based coking coal supplier said it will lay off 51 miners in its own employ and 39 underground contractors due to a "significant downturn in the coal market."

"This decision was very difficult, and we have worked hard to reduce costs in every other aspect of our coal operations, but the business challenges in the coal industry left us with no choice," vice president of coal operations James Mullins said Feb. 11.

"We are continuing production in our four remaining active Dominion mines with a continued focus on what we can control, including managing our costs, optimizing our production and making safety our top priority," he said. "We believe that this focus, combined with the action we have taken today, will help us meet the tough economic challenges we face this year."

Dominion Mine No. 36 is part of the company’s Jewell coke and coal operations in southwestern Virginia.

A version of this article was first published by AMM sister publication Steel First.