Chief Executive Succession

UK Coal PLC
30 May 2007


30 May, 2007



                                    UK COAL
                           Chief Executive Succession


UK COAL PLC ('UK COAL' or 'the group') today announces the intention of Gerry
Spindler, Chief Executive, to step down from the Board of UK COAL on the
1st September, 2007, and to leave the group at the end of this year. The Board
announces that Jon Lloyd, currently the group's Property Director, is appointed
Chief Executive designate with effect from June 1st, 2007, and will become Chief
Executive of the group on 1st September this year. It also announces that Kevin
Whiteman, Chief Executive of Kelda Group, will join the Board of UK COAL as a
non-executive director as of June 1st, 2007.


David Jones, Chairman, said:

'Gerry has led UK COAL through a transformational change and has delivered an
outstanding performance since he became Chief Executive in October 2004. He has
placed our mining business on a far firmer footing and, with the development of
our property management team and strategy, he has also put in place a much
stronger platform for future value creation. We will be sad to see him leave,
but we entirely understand his desire to return to the USA


'The Board undertook a thorough process of evaluating both internal and external
candidates and is delighted to announce Jon as Chief Executive designate. The
Board congratulates him on this appointment. Since Jon joined us in July last
year, he has more than demonstrated his leadership skills and wide expertise to
realise the very large store of value we have identified in our property estate.
We are very confident in the future of the group under Jon's leadership.


'On behalf of the Board, I would also like to welcome Kevin. His experience and
mining background will further strengthen our Board as we move through the Chief
Executive transition and beyond.'


Kevin Whiteman has been a director of Kelda Group plc since September 2000. No
other information is required to be disclosed pursuant to Listing Rule 9.6.13 in
relation to Mr Whiteman's appointment as a non-executive director.


Enquiries
Citigate Dewe Rogerson:              Tel: [phone]

Anthony Carlisle                     Mobile: [phone]
Laure Lagrange                       Mobile: [phone]



Notes to Editors


Gerry Spindler (59) joined the Board of UK COAL as a non-executive director in
October 2001 and was appointed Chief Executive during October 2004. He secured a
degree in Mining Engineering at West Virginia University and has spent his
career in the coal industry, particularly in the United States, where he was
President of the coal companies for Cyprus Amax Materials Company, the second
largest coal business in the US.


Jon Lloyd (51) joined the Board in July, 2006 as Property Director and Chief
Executive of Harworth Estates, the group's land and property business. UK COAL
has some 47,500 acres of land of which some 2,650 acres are currently the focus
of regeneration development plans across some 60 individual projects. Jon
qualified as an Associate of The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in
1981, becoming a Fellow in 1993. His career has been spent in property,
including as Property Director of Yorkshire Water and Head of Group Property of
HBOS.


Kevin Whiteman (50) secured a degree in Mining Engineering at University
College, Cardiff, and started his career at British Coal. He joined the National
Rivers Authority in 1993, becoming Chief Executive in 1995, before spending a
year as Regional Director of the Environment Agency. In 1997, he joined
Yorkshire Water and was appointed Chief Executive of Kelda Group in 2002.







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