COPPER MINING – Huckleberry operation extended to 2010

BRITISH COLUMBIA - The board of directors at IMPERIAL METALS of Vancouver has approved a revised mining plan that will keep the Huckleberry copper mine in operation into 2010, an extra two years.

Plans outline an extension of the Main Zone pit to take advantage of 16.0 million tonnes of probable reserves that grade 0.37% Cu. The required regulatory approvals are expected this summer.

Imperial Metals is the operator and owns 50% of the Huckleberry mine. Its partner is a Japanese consortium including Mitsubishi Materials, Dowa Mining, Furukawa Co. and Marubeni Corp. Visit www.ImperialMetals.com for more information about the mine.