Rochfort Coal Ltd
Eastern's
wholly owned subsidiary, Rochfort Coal Ltd, holds the Whareatea West exploration
permit EP 40-591and has applied for Prospecting Permits over an extensive area
in the far south of New Zealand's South Island.
Whareatea West, South Island, New Zealand:
- Close to the Company's Cascade coal mine
- Close to infrastructure for domestic and export markets
- Preliminary analyses indicate export quality hard coking coal
- Targeting the establishment of a 20 million tonne resource
Whareatea
West is located in the north west of the South Island, near Westport in the
Buller region and approximately 5km from the company's Cascade mine.
Previous exploration indicates that Whareatea West may contain export quality hard coking coal. The establishment of an initial coking coal resource of 20 million tonnes is targeted.An 8-hole exploration programme was concluded in June 2006 and the results are being studied to assess coal quality and estimate the size of the resource.
Following the completion of the analysis, a decision will be taken on whether to proceed with a feasibility study into the development of an export coking coalmine.
Ohai / Orepuki, South Island, New Zealand
Rochfort Coal Ltd has been granted two prospecting permits which cover a large area encompassing the Ohai and Takitimu mines, and a region further to the south-west at Orepuki. The coal seams identified within the Takitimu mining tenements extend into the Ohai prospecting permit, creating the potential to expand the coal resource.