20 September 2011
EastCoal (TSX: ECX CN, N/R) announced in a press release last week that it established access to a new west block at its Verticalnaya anthracite mine. EastCoal said the potential of the west block is significant and that, if developed, it could bring forward commercial production from its H8 seam by as much as 12 months. The west block of the H8 seam extends for about 2.5 km along strike and 3.0 km down dip. EastCoal said it previously did not include mining of this block of coal in its previous plans; it had believed access was flooded. EastCoal said an independent NI 43-101 complaint technical report was being commissioned to evaluate coal resources in the west block.