10 Nov 2009 15:45
Altona Energy Plc / Index: AIM / Epic: ANR / Sector: Exploration & Production
10 November 2009
Altona Energy Plc ('Altona' or 'the Company')
Holdings in Company
Altona Energy Plc, the AIM listed Australian based energy company, was informed on 9 November 2009 that Invesco Limited ('Invesco'), increased its interest in Altona by way of an acquisition of 3,700,000 ordinary shares in the Company. As a result of this acquisition, Invesco is now interested in 55,587,122 ordinary shares in Altona, representing 15.00% of the total issued share capital.
**ENDS**
For further information visit www.altonaenergy.com or please contact:
| Christopher Lambert | Altona Chairman | Tel: +44 (0) 207 024 8391 |
| Christopher Schrape | Altona Managing Director | Tel: +44 (0) 207 024 8391 |
| Samantha Harrison | Ambrian Partners Limited | Tel: +44 (0) 207 634 4705 |
| Paul Youens | St Brides Media & Finance Ltd | Tel: +44 (0) 207 236 1177 |
| Hugo de Salis | St Brides Media & Finance Ltd | Tel: +44 (0) 207 236 1177 |
Notes to Editors:
About Altona
Altona Energy Plc is an Australian based energy company that was admitted to trading on AIM in March 2005. Its primary focus to date has been the completion of a bankable feasibility study for its wholly owned Arckaringa Project for an integrated 10 million barrel per year Coal to Liquid ('CTL') plant with a 560 MW co-generation power facility.
The Company holds, through its wholly owned subsidiary Arckaringa Energy Pty Ltd, a 100% interest in three exploration licences covering 2,500 sq. kms in the northern portion of the Permian Arckaringa Basin in South Australia. These include three coal deposits, Westfield (EL3360), Wintinna (EL3361) and Murloocoppie (EL3362). All three lie close to the Adelaide to Darwin railway and the Stuart Highway. Containing more than 7.5 billion tonnes of coal (based on non-JORC standards), these coal deposits are effectively one of the world's largest undeveloped energy banks, capable of conversion into clean liquid fuels, low cost power and high value industrial feedstocks.
About Coal-to-Liquids (also see www.altonaenergy.com)
CTL is a proven technology which converts coal into more environmentally clean and manageable energy sources including gas and synthetic fuels. The process involves two major stages, gasification to produce synthetic gas ("Syngas") rich in hydrogen and carbon, and a liquefication stage where the Syngas is reacted over a catalyst to produce high quality, ultraclean synthetic fuels and chemical feedstocks.
CTL is a prime example of clean coal technology - the associated combined cycle units produce negligible sulphur oxides, significantly less nitrogen oxides and 10-20% less CO2 per unit of power generated than a conventional coal fired plant, whilst carbon capture and storage offers the potential to reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions from CTL to below the "well to wheel" level of fuels derived from crude oil.
The technology is best demonstrated in South Africa, where currently 30% of the country's gasoline and diesel fuel needs are met through CTL plants.