Reader Rebuttal (June 01, 2007)

What’s hot (and missing) in coal

The “What’s Hot in Coal” map (CMJ April 2007) has a few missing details.

The Peace River Coal Limited Partnership, in which Hillsborough holds a 20% interest, is currently bringing the Trend mining operation up to commercial production levels with a targeted rate of production of 1.6 million plant feed tonnes per annum within the first half of 2007.

Hillsborough’s Quinsam thermal coal mine on Vancouver Island is missing from the map. Quinsam is increasing its rate of production for 2007 to a targeted 600,000 clean tonnes per annum. On the adjacent Quinsam North property, new coal resources of immediate interest for underground mining were defined totalling 25.3 million tonnes measured and indicated plus a further 11.7 million tonnes inferred, offering the potential to support not only formal extension of the current Quinsam mine life plan but possible mine expansion as well.

Hillsborough’s Wapiti thermal coal property updated its resource estimates in February 2007 to 80.1 million tonnes measured and indicated plus a further 35.2 million tonnes inferred. The NI 43-101 report was filed on SEDAR in late March 2007. The large resource tonnage offers the opportunity for mine development based on the export market as well as the regional industrial markets, and the company is continuing the process of obtaining regulatory approvals for a Wapiti thermal coal mine.

Lindsay Brumwell, corporate communications

Hillsborough Resources Ltd.

Vancouver, B.C.