NEWS ROUNDUP — Hillsborough to expand Quinsam

Negotiations allowing Hillsborough Resources (TSE) to arrange financing for a planned $14.1 million expansion at the company’s Quinsam coal mine on Vancouver Island, B.C. are well under way.

The expansion will enable Hillsborough’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Quinsam Coal, to expand operations by 1997 to 1.2 million tonnes of thermal coal per year from the current rate of 600,000 tonnes.

The plan calls for $6 million to be spent on upgrading the port facilities at Middle Point, B.C., $3 million to be spent on upgrading the road from the mine site to the port, $3.4 million for additional underground mining equipment and the remainder to expand the capacity of the coal preparation plant.

The expansion will ensure the operation remains competitive and should result in more than 100 additional jobs.