AGM Statement

Alkane Energy PLC 14 June 2002 14 June 2002 Alkane Energy plc AGM Statement Alkane Energy plc ('Alkane') is the UK's leading producer of green energy from abandoned coal mines. At the Annual General Meeting, held earlier today, Dr Cameron Davies, Executive Chairman, made the following comments: 'We were delighted with the Government's announcement in the Budget 2002 of its intention to grant electricity generated from coal mine methane exemption from Climate Change Levy. This change resulted from intense lobbying by the Association of Coal Mine Methane Operators of which Alkane is a founder member. We remain optimistic that this is the first of several possible incentives the Government could use to support the growth of this new industry. 'From the foundations laid in 2001, our first year as a public company, development has continued with first sales of gas at Wheldale and Barnsley earlier this year. We remain on course to have six new sites in the East Midlands and Yorkshire ready for gas draw down by the end of the year. 'All of our sites are now operational with the exception of the very small site at Steetley where engine problems in our customer's electricity generating plant have still not been resolved. The Board is expected to make a decision shortly on whether to close this site in order to concentrate efforts on the development of other more cash generative projects. 'The Board remains optimistic about the commercialisation of its product and is comfortable with the outlook for the year.' Enquiries: Alkane Energy plc Tel: 01623 827927 Dr Cameron Davies, Executive Chairman David Cross, Chief Executive Binns & Co PR Ltd Tel: 0113 242 1171 Judith Parry/Sophie Morton Editors' notes: • Alkane was listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2000. At the same time the company raised £30m through an institutional placing at a placing price of 90p. • Alkane has used its extraction concept in the development of five ' Green Energy Parks' in the East Midlands & Yorkshire where CMM is captured from abandoned coal mines and is sold to a third party for conversion of electricity on site or sold as a fuel for industrial processes. It is the company's intention to roll out over 100 further sites over the next five years. The current phase of development is in Yorkshire and the East Midlands. • Since 1996, Alkane has accumulated a widespread portfolio of 29 licence areas covering abandoned and operating mines in England, Scotland and Wales. These give it exclusive CMM production rights over a total area of 5,816 km(2). This is the largest licensed acreage relating to potential CMM extraction in the UK. There are nearly 400 abandoned coal mines on this acreage and over 900 abandoned coal mines in total in the UK. • CMM is a noxious and dangerous gas which escapes into the environment from vents on abandoned coal mines. It is 21 times more damaging to the atmosphere that carbon dioxide in terms of global warming. The company's activities are therefore of great benefit to the environment. • ACMMO continues to lobby for further support such as CMM entry into the Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme and for it to be recognised as a 'renewable energy' which would make it a player in the Renewable Energy Obligation. Under this rule electricity suppliers will be obliged to source 10% of their electricity from a renewable energy source by 2010. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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