RNS Number:1318Q
ATH Resources plc
16 August 2005




Press Release                                                   16 August 2005


                               ATH Resources plc

                        ("ATH Resources" or "the Group")


                           Skares Southern Extension
                         Planning Application Approved

ATH Resources plc, one of the UK's largest coal producers, announces that its
application for planning consent for a 350,000 tonne extension to its Skares
Road Opencast Coal Site has been approved.  The 46 hectare extension lies within
commercial forestry to the south of the current site boundary and tree felling
and other site preparatory works are scheduled in September.  Coal will be
extracted from the same sequence of coal seams that occurs throughout the rest
of the Skares Road Site and will service power generation, industrial and
domestic markets.

This follows the successful acquisition of the nearby Grievehill and
Glenmuckloch Opencast Coal Sites in June 2005 from which coal production is
anticipated to commence in September 2005 and October 2006 respectively.  The
Company anticipates making an application for its 2 million tonne Muir Dean
project in Fife later in 2005 and continues to seek and progress other
opportunities to develop the business.

Tom Allchurch, Chief Executive of ATH Resources plc said: " The Southern
Extension at Skares, together with the 810,000 tonnes of previously consented
reserve at the mine will secure production and employment at Skares until
October 2008".

For further information:
ATH Resources plc
Tom Allchurch, Chief Executive                        Tel: +44 (0) 1302 760 462
tom@ath.co.uk                                                     www.ath.co.uk



Media enquiries:
Abchurch
Henry Harrison-Topham / Charlie Jack                  Tel: +44 (0) 20 7398 7700
henry.ht@abchurch-group.com                              www.abchurch-group.com


Notes to Editors:

ATH Resources plc

ATH Resources is an AIM-listed operator of opencast coal mines in the UK with
its current two operational mines, Skares Road and Garleffan, located near New
Cumnock, East Ayrshire in Scotland.  The Company is currently the third largest
producer of coal in the UK producing approximately 1.6 million tonnes per annum.
Coal was used to generate 34.7 per cent of the UK's electricity in 2003 and
the Company holds coal supply contracts with four of the UK's main electricity
generating companies.

The management team has been in place since 1998. It acquired the rights to
operate (and subsequently acquire) the Skares Road mine with support from The
Alchemy Plan and Bank of Scotland.  Following ATH Resource's incorporation in
October 2003, and backed by a follow on investment from The Alchemy Plan, the
Company acquired the Garleffan mine in November 2003.

In addition to the Skares Road and Garleffan mines, the Company also has a
number of other coal mining projects in Scotland and two through its French
subsidiary, SRMMC including a series of six existing coal concessions in
south-central France, covering an area of 36km2 with an estimated resource of
approximately 4.5 million tonnes of recoverable coal.

ATH Resources listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in June 2004
under the symbol ATH.L


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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