Atlantic Coal (LON:ATC), the US-focused open cast coal miner, has appointed Barney Corrigan, formerly head of BHP Develop, to its management team as project development officer.
Corrigan will assist in the identification, evaluation, acquisition and development of coal sites both in the USA and potentially the UK, to increase the Atlantic’s project portfolio, resource base and production profile.
Corrigan comes on board Atlantic armed with over 30 years’ experience in the resource industry, specialising in all aspects of mineral and waste planning. Prior to being at the helm of BHP Develop, the planning and design division of Blackett Hart & Pratt LLP, he was a planning manager with Dickinson Dees Law Firm and planning and development manager for Andrew Golightly Limited.
At Andrew Golightly he was responsible for planning feasibility studies for surface mine sites, the preparation and submission of planning applications and environmental assessments, and project management of the whole planning application process.
Corrigan has experience of working with a number of operators in the mining industry, including Banks Group, Coal Contractors and Hutchinson Mining.
Atlantic’s managing director Steve Best said Corrigan will help Atlantic Coal in its quest to become a significant coal producer thanks to his experience of evaluating projects.
Best added: "The anthracititic coal belt in Pennsylvania remains a priority for us and we continue to assess a number of opportunities which we believe have the potential to complement our producing coal mine at Stockton. Barney will provide valuable input into this process and with him we intend to rapidly advance a number of opportunities."
Earlier this month the Atlantic revealed full year results for 2010 showing revenues rose18.5 percent to US$10.7 million. But the cost of investment in its activities, as well as a higher strip ratio of coal to overburden, led to an increased pre-tax loss for the year of US$5.1 million (2009: US$2.6 million).
Atlantic operates in Pennsylvania but its shares are quoted on the Alternative Investment Market, said that it increased its production capacity through sustained investment in its primary asset: the Stockton Colliery.
Stockton – an opencast anthracite mining and processing operation – has seen a new excavator put into service in order to develop the 3.2 million tons of run-of-mine coal reserves there.