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PLATINUM GROUP METALS
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INDUSTRIAL METALS
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GOLD NEWS
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JUNIOR MINING
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Overview
First day of dealing on AIM having placed 75,000,000 new Ordinary Shares at 20p per share giving Energybuild a market cap of £26 million
Energybuild Chairman Colin Cooke said, "The Aberpergwm and Treforgan mines in Wales have always shown great potential as producing entities. With identified and verified high quality anthracite reserves, off-take agreements in place with leading corporates and an experienced operational team lead by Rhidian Davies, I believe the Group is ideally positioned to provide investors with future asset value appreciation and a significant yield on their investment. The Welsh mining industry has changed dramatically over the last 25 years but the fundamentals for operational success remain highly favourable with the infrastructure and operational knowledge in the region. This, in tandem with the rising coal price and our dedicated work programme, gives me great confidence in the Group and its ability to create value for shareholders."
For further information please visit http://www.energybuild.co.uk/ or contact:
Rhidian Davies Energybuild Group plc Tel: 01639 722 400
Mark Percy Seymour Pierce Limited Tel: 020 7107 8000
Hugo de Salis St Brides Media & Finance Ltd Tel: 020 7242 4477
Victoria Thomas St Brides Media & Finance Ltd Tel: 020 7242 4477
Overview
Energybuild Group Plc, a developer and producer of Welsh coal, has raised approximately £10.6 million through the issue of approximately 53,000,000 new ordinary shares at 20 pence per share and has today listed on AIM. In addition to the cash fundraising, certain debts have been converted as part of the Placing at the placing price of 20p per share, resulting in the aggregate issue of 75,000,000 new ordinary shares and giving the Company a market cap of £26 million. The Group is presently developing the Aberpergwm Mine and adjoining underground anthracite coal reserves and resources located in the Neath and Dulais Valleys of South Wales. It also operates the nearby Nant y Mynydd surface opencast coal and stone mining site area and has identified further possible opencast sites within the Aberpergwm Surface Lease for potential development.
The key features of the Group are:
The Mine has estimated recoverable proven and probable coal reserves of 7.6 million tonnes which are part of an estimated total measured, indicated and inferred recoverable coal resource of 43.8 million tonnes with an overall in-situ coal seam resource of 112.2 million tonnes
History
The Aberpergwm Mine is located in the Neath Valley, South Wales near to the villages of Glynneath and Blaengwrach. The region around Aberpergwm has been mined for several centuries.
During the 1970s and 1980s British Coal embarked upon a development programme to develop a mining complex connecting the Aberpergwm Mine and the former Treforgan Mine to access and mine the unworked coal seams located between the two mines, with a planned production of 640,000 saleable tonnes per annum. However, following the miners' strike of 1984/1985, British Coal entered into a national closure programme which resulted in the closure of these two mines in the late 1980s along with many others during the period from 1985 onwards.
Since the closures, Energybuild Limited, which acquired the Mine in 2003, and its forerunners re-established many parts of the Aberpergwm Mine and resumed limited coal extraction whilst continuing to develop towards, and into, some of the access drifts that British Coal had driven in the 1970/1980s. In July 2006, Energybuild Group Plc acquired EBH, the holding company for Energybuild Limited and has since designed a detailed plan to accelerate the Mine development with a view to achieving production of 440,000 saleable tonnes per annum within the next three years and 770,000 saleable tonnes per annum within the next six years.
Development schedule
In order to achieve full development, the Directors have drawn up a comprehensive development plan as follows:
capital investment in infrastructure, machinery and ventilation
By the end of 2012 the Directors intend that the Group will have completed the following:
In 2008, projected production of c.265,000 tonnes
Target Markets
The Group's principal coal markets are expected to be:
Aberthaw power station (operated by RWE) - this power station burns low volatile anthracite coal such as that mined by the Group. RWE has recently entered into the LPCD (Large Plant Combustion Directive) whereby the plant is being fitted with FGD (Flue Gas Desulphurisation) equipment ensuring its productive life for at least another ten years or more beyond the anticipated cut-off date of 2008. The power station currently consumes 2.4 to 3 million tonnes of coal per year of which currently only approximately 40 per cent. can be supplied locally with the balance supplied from overseas. The Group has a supply contract with RWE expiring in December 2008 and RWE has expressed its interest in entering into a long term supply contract. The majority of the Group's saleable coal is expected to be sold to the Aberthaw power station
Additionally, with the expected closure of the nearby Tower Colliery the Directors believe that there will be increased demand for the Group's coal as Tower Colliery supply into the same market.
Board of Directors
Colin Cooke, Non-executive Chairman
Began career in steel making in Wales in 1956. Served as an executive director at Duport Group Plc until 1986. Has extensive corporate experience including Yorkshire Water Plc and Welsh Development Agency. Currently non-executive Chairman of Fenner Plc and Dowlis Corporate Solutions. Holds an HNC in Metallurgy and is a Fellow of Institute of Metallurgy.
Rhidian Davies, Managing Director
Obtained British Coal licence in 1987 to operate own private sector mine. Founder and Manager of Signalfern which reversed into Consolidated Coal Plc, became MD. Other Directorships include of AML and EBH and founded MEHL.
Karl Picton-Jones, Financial Director
In 1984 joined Deloitte, Haskins and Sells. In 1990 joined Griffith & Miles as a senior audit manager. Joined Consolidated Coal Plc, a fully listed coal mining company in 1996 as financial controller and subsequently finance director.
Robert Morgan, Non-executive Director
Graduated from UWIST with BSc (Hons) in 1988 and began a career in the city. Became a managing director of UBS, running the equity derivatives business in the US from 1998 to 2001. He then became a senior fund manager at UBS O'Connor (a $2.5bn hedge fund). Rob left the city in 2003 to pursue other interests and has been an investor in Energybuild since its inception.
Alwyn Davey, Non-executive Director
Graduated with an LLB in 1997 from the University of Waikato (New Zealand) before joining a corporate finance boutique based in London. In 2002 he worked on the formation of Cambrian Mining where he remains the senior corporate manager.



