West Hawk Announces New President,
Groundhog Agreement Approved
Thursday March 16, 3:05 am ET
VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 16, 2006--West Hawk Development Corp. ("West Hawk") (TSX VENTURE:WHD - News; FWB:H5N) is pleased to announce that Dr. William Mark Hart, Chief Operating Officer, has agreed to accept the position of President. Dr. Hart brings 30 years of coal mining and power plant operating experience to the company including several senior executive positions with multinational mining and energy companies including Cyprus Amax Minerals Corp., Newmont Mining Company, NRG Energy Inc, Sarcoal Energy Inc., and Consolidated Coal/Consol Energy. Michael Townsend will retain the role of Executive Chairman and Corporate Secretary. Chris Verrico will remain Chief Executive Officer.
In addition the company wishes to announce that it has entered into a formal letter of agreement with Anglo Pacific Group PLC ("Anglo Pacific") of London, England (LSE:APF - News; ASX:AGP - News) for the joint exploration and development of Anglo Pacific's and West Hawk's adjoining Upper and Lower Discovery coal licenses located at the Groundhog coal field in British Columbia, Canada. The formal agreement replaces the previously announced (January 11, 2006) memorandum of understanding.
The companies have formed a joint operating company, Discovery Creek Development Company (DCDC), consisting of four board seats and a Chairman. Each company will have equal representation on the board of directors with the chairman's role alternating on an annual basis. A phase one, 22 drill-hole development program has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is scheduled to begin in early April 2006.
The program will consist of the mobilization and construction of a semi permanent camp to base an initial low-impact helicopter supported drill program designed to advance known inferred and speculative category coal resources to measured and indicated categories as well as ascertain coal quality, quantity and geotechnical data necessary to facilitate the preparation of a feasibility study.
West Hawk has enlisted two veteran, professional mining engineering consultants to assist in the reserve estimation, mine design and economics for Groundhog. Dr. Andrew P. Schissler and Mr. Kenneth R. Server, who between them have been involved in the planning of over 90 coal, oil shale, and metal mining operations, internationally. Dr. Schissler worked in the mining industry for 27 years in technical and managerial positions before joining the faculty in Mining Engineering at Penn State University. Mr. Server has over 40 years of mine planning, design, and engineering experience as well as serving in a number of managerial positions with internationally recognized companies. Weir International, Inc., one of the world's most respected mining engineering companies, will oversee the Groundhog reserve evaluation, mine planning and economic analysis. SGS, the world's largest inspection testing and certification company of minerals/coal and trade commodities, will do the analyses.
The seams on West Hawk's Lower Discovery and Evans Creek properties alone comprise an inferred resource of 48,000,000 tonnes based on a few drill holes, having been outlined in a recently completed National Instrument 43-101 report produced by Don Wedman P.Eng. Additional resources are expected to be outlined by the exploration work on both Anglo Pacific's Upper Discovery and West Hawk's Lower Discovery Creek properties.
Dr. Wm. Mark Hart, President of West Hawk, explains; "Some of the world's highest carbon content coal lies within West Hawk's billion tonne speculative resource at the Ground Hog." Dr. Hart is considered an expert in Coal Mining having graduated with a PhD from the Colorado School of Mines and West Virginia University in mining engineering, later establishing records for production, safety and efficiency.
Anglo Pacific is a natural resources royalty company listed on both the London and Australian Stock Exchanges and currently receives royalty receipts from two coking coal mines in Queensland, Australia operated by Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton. In addition, Anglo Pacific has other private coal interests in the Groundhog district and also at Trefi in British Columbia. They also hold further private coal interests in Australia and maintain inter alia, substantial quoted equity stakes in a number of coal, uranium, gold and PGM mining projects in North America and Australia, including stakes in Cambrian Mining and Western Canadian Coal.
West Hawk is also pleased to announce that it has entered into advanced discussions with major mining and leading "clean coal" technology operators around potential Joint Venture for the development of its various coal assets. Potentials include the export of premium anthracite coal products in concert with environmentally responsible mine mouth coal gasification.
West Hawk is a mineral exploration and development company committed to building shareholder value through the development of its eight coal properties in Northern British Columbia and the Northwest Territories including plans to build an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) electrical power plant, a coal-to-liquids (synthetic diesel fuels & naphtha) plant and a coal to pipeline quality synthetic natural gas plant.
The information contained in this news release, has been reviewed, approved and deemed reliable by Michael Sandidge P Geo., the qualified person.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Michael Townsend, Chairman of the Board
This news release contains certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time with the British Columbia Securities Commission and the United States Securities & Exchange Commission.
The TSX Venture Exchange has not yet reviewed and does not take re sponsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.
West Hawk Development Corp. (TSX VENTURE:WHD - News; FRANKFURT:H5N - News)
Contact:
West Hawk Development Corp.
Michael Townsend
Chairman of the Board
(604) 669-9330 or Toll Free: 1-866-669-9377
Fax: (604) 669-9335
info@westhawkdevelopment.com
www.westhawkdevelopment.com
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Source: West Hawk Development Corp.
