Asia Energy Corporation (Bangladesh) Pty Ltd

Asia Energy Corporation (Bangladesh) Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of GCM Resources plc, has a contract with the Government of Bangladesh 'for exploration and mining of coal in Northern Bangladesh'.

In accordance with this Contract, the Company has completed a Feasibility Study for commercial development of the Phulbari Coal Project. The Scheme of Development was submitted to the Government of Bangladesh in November 2005 and is awaiting approval. The Company has also provided a proposal to the Government for the development of up to 1000 MW of coal-fired power generating at the mine mouth and subsequently a capacity 2000MW has subsequently been considered.

Experts on The Project

Asia Energy assembled a world-class international team, comprising leading consultants and advisors, experienced local and expatriate staff and senior management, to produce the Definitive Feasibility Study and other reports.

Local Advisors and Consultants

• Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) for various GIS applications;
• AC Nielsen Bangladesh Pty Ltd (AC Nielsen) for market studies;
• AME Consulting Pty Ltd for market analysis;
• Nature Conservation Management (NACOM) for biodiversity studies;
• Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) for water modelling and river systems studies;
• IUCN The World Conservation Union (IUCN) for legal review environmental studies;
• Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, for geophysical logging and air quality testing;
• Falgu Sandhani for drilling support and advice;
• Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology for water testing;
• Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies for resettlement studies;
• Professor Matin of the geology department of Dhaka University for water quality studies;
• Professor M M Hoque of Archaeology Department, Jahangirnagar University

International Advisors and Consultants

• SMEC International Pty Ltd - Environmental and Social Impact Assessments, Rail and Road relocation, design of new villages and Town and Water Supply

  SMEC is a multi-disciplinary consulting service providing engineering, project management, environmental science and social development activities. SMEC has permanent regional offices in 12 countries stretching from the Pacific Islands to Africa. For this Project they were responsible for all social and environmental studies including management plans and key social and environmental documents for the GoB for environmental clearance of the Project and the design of town and villages, road and rail relocations and district water supply.

• GHD Pty Ltd - Coal Resource Evaluation and Mine Infrastructure Design

  GHD is a leading independent consultancy with offices located throughout Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific region and the Americas. It is one of Australia's largest and longest established companies of multidisciplinary consultants. GHD's responsibilities included the integrity of the drilling campaign, resource modelling and resource calculations, hydrogeology, geotechnical and some Project infrastructure.

• Minarco-MineConsult Pty Ltd - Mine Design, Economic Modelling and Equipment Selection

  Minarco-MineConsult, part of the Runge Limited Group, is an internationally recognised provider of quality services to the global mining industry. MMC's responsibilities included mine planning, scheduling, ore reserve calculations, work force numbers and equipment selection. MineConsult also co-ordinated the Project economic modelling using their proprietary MiMaSo mining project economic modelling software.

• QCC Resources Pty Ltd - Coal Quality, Handling and Preparation Engineering

  QCC are specialists in the area of coal technology, process engineering and quality. The major work area for QCC on the Project has been advising on coal quality testing requirements, product specifications and the design and engineering of the coal preparation and handling plants.

• ACIRL Ltd - Coal Testing

  ACIRL is Australia's leading provider of testing, analytical and coal technology services to the black coal industry. ACIRL performs a wide range of services including coal value optimisation and coal quality analysis. The major work area for ACIRL on the Project was coal testing.

• Coffey Geosciences Ltd - Water management

  Australian-based Coffey Geosciences Ltd is a leading international engineering and water management company. The company's engineering investigations provide a window into the ground, providing clients with a greater understanding of the likely technical, financial and environmental impacts on their projects. Coffey Geosciences specifically provides solutions tailored to the needs of the mining sector.

• Canarail Consultants Inc. - Rail Transport Study

  Canarail are a consulting firm whose primary focus is rail and urban transportation. They assist their clients in expanding, operating and developing railway resources in need of improvement and they provide expertise including technical and operational assistance. Canarail reviewed the current railway system in Bangladesh and recommended the technical, operational and cost requirements for the transportation of coal.

• Sandwell Engineering Inc - Port Infrastructure Design

  Sandwell have been involved in planning and designing ports ranging from small vessel harbours to bulk terminals capable of exporting 90 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa). Sandwell were responsible for the development of designs and cost estimates for the proposed port facilities for the Project.

• Demas Dredging Consultants (Demas) and Quay Marine Solutions (Quay) - Channel Improvements Design and Barging, Transhipping and Shipping Advice

  Demas dredging consultants and Quay Marine Services combined to utilise the specialised dredging experience of Demas and the marine transportation experience of QMS to provide Asia Energy with an overall channel improvement design and transportation network for export to international markets.

• Barclays Capital - Financial Advisors

  The investment banking division of Barclays Bank PLC were appointed to provide advice and services in connection with the financing of the Project. They are working closely with GCM Resources plc to ensure the bankability of the Project from technological, environmental and social, legal, political and financial perspectives.

• Clifford Chance - International Legal Counsel

  Clifford Chance is an integrated global law firm advising financial institutions, commercial enterprises and state and regulatory bodies on complex and critical legal issues. Clifford Chance provides Asia Energy with international legal council on all aspects of the Project.