Consol Energy Inc. is considering moving its corporate headquarters from Upper St. Clair to Southpointe II in Cecil within four years to be closer to its coalfields, among other advantages.

The corporation has about 400 employees in its 186,000-square-foot building across from South Hills Village on Washington Road.

But it sold that building and 29 acres in June for $13 million to Corvus Pittsburgh Interests I LLC, a subsidiary of Corvus International, a large real-estate company based in Birmingham, Mich.

Consol remains in Upper St. Clair under an extended lease with Corvus while it considers whether to find a place to build a new headquarters.

Thomas F. Hoffman, Consol vice president of investor and public relations, said Consol was looking closely at Southpointe II and other locations with plans to make a decision soon.

Southpointe II includes 13 parcels for office construction, but USG Insurance has taken one, and other companies hold options on two others. The Washington County Authority is negotiating with other companies for remaining parcels, said Wayne Fleming, its executive director.

"Southpointe [II] is the place to look at if you are going to move or build a headquarters building," Mr. Hoffman said. "It is one of the more obvious choices," noting its proximity to Consol's 84 Mine in central Washington County, the Enlow Fork Mine in southern Washington County and the Bailey Mine in northwestern Greene County, among its mine holdings in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky.

Another advantage, he said, is Southpointe II's proximity to Pittsburgh International Airport.

"Our preference would be to build something and build it to meet our unique needs," he said. "Our [Upper St. Clair] building is more than 25 years old," which would make it difficult and expensive to upgrade technology there. "That's why building a new facility is something to look at."

Southpointe II covers 225 acres on the grounds of the former Western Center. It is expected to draw $200 million in private investment and eventually could include a hotel and retail and residential properties. The development borders Southpointe, a residential and business park the county formed in the 1980s with about 600 acres of Western Center.

But Southpointe is full.

Mr. Fleming said the authority opened bids Jan. 31 for $6.5 million in construction of roads, sewerage and underground utility lines in Southpointe II. Construction will take about 18 months.

The authority cannot comment about negotiations with particular companies, he said.

"But if we were fortunate enough to get a company like Consol Energy, we'd be thrilled," he said. "We have the room, we have the aesthetics and we have the desire."

Consol is selling its former 84 Mine headquarters building on Route 519 in Somerset Township. Most of that staff now works in the Upper St. Clair headquarters, Mr. Hoffman said.

Consol, the nation's largest high-BTU bituminous coal producer, reported total revenues of $3.8 billion in 2005. Its Bailey Mine in Greene County and Enlow Fork Mine in southern Washington County are the nation's largest underground mines.

In all, Consol operates 17 mining complexes, all of them underground operations with the exception of the Mahoning Valley Mine in eastern Ohio and one in Kentucky that combines underground and surface mining, its Web site states.

About 98 percent of all Consol's coal production comes from underground mines, Mr. Hoffman said.

Consol also has extensive land and timber holdings. It sold 48.6 billion cubic feet of methane gas in 2004 from wells in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia. CNX Gas Corp. is now a separate subsidiary.

First Published: February 19, 2006, 5:00 a.m.