Walter Energy Garners West Virginia State Safety Awards

Mines and Plant Work Without Lost-Time Injuries in 2014

BIRMINGHAM, AL--(Marketwired - Jan 29, 2015) - The prestigious West Virginia Mountaineer Guardian Safety Award recipients for 2014 include three Walter Energy (NYSE: WLT) coal operations -- the Maple Eagle underground mine, the Sycamore surface mine, and the Katie coal preparation plant, all located near Elkridge, WV.

"The Mountaineer Guardian Safety Award is one of the most important recognitions in our industry," said Walt Scheller, Chief Executive Officer. "To receive it requires an around-the-clock, top-to-bottom commitment to safety from all the employees. Everyone at Walter Energy shares the pride in what our West Virginia teams have accomplished."

The Mountaineer Guardian Safety Award was established in 1983 by the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety, and Training as well as the West Virginia Coal Association as a way to promote safety in the coal fields. The program recognizes mining workplaces, based on number of employees, where the operation has accumulated a qualifying amount of production while meeting specific safety criteria.

Workplaces receiving the award are judged on criteria such as: the operation's safety program; cooperative efforts with the state safety office; the history of violations at the site; and working the year without a fatal accident. The award also relies, in part, on the evaluation of the mine and its employees by the state safety inspector responsible for the site.

"In addition to meeting all the criteria for the award, all three of our operations worked the full year without a lost-time injury as well," said Dan Stickel, President West Virginia Operations. "Despite a challenging economic environment, our teams never sacrificed safety to save money."

Stickel added, "I believe their daily focus on working safely made each of these operations better and more competitive overall. Receiving the Mountaineer Guardian Award is great recognition for our workforce. I'm very proud of them."

During 2014, the Maple Eagle underground mine had 90 employees and produced about 1.1 million tons (run-of-mine) of coal, the Sycamore surface mine had 45 employees and produced about 0.5 million tons (r.o.m.) of coal, and the Katie preparation plant had 18 employees and processed about 1.1 million tons (r.o.m.) of coal.

The Awards were presented today to Walter Energy and to other mining operations in the state at a luncheon during the West Virginia Coal Association's 2015 Mining Symposium in Charleston, WV.

About Walter Energy
Walter Energy is a leading, publicly traded "pure-play" metallurgical coal producer for the global steel industry with strategic access to high-growth steel markets in Asia, South America and Europe. The Company also produces thermal coal, anthracite, metallurgical coke and coal bed methane gas. Walter Energy employs approximately 2,700 employees, with operations in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. For more information about Walter Energy, please visit www.walterenergy.com.