Western Coal announces inclusion in the S&P/TSX Composite Index

Western Coal Corp (TSX: WTN, WTN.WT and WTN.DB and AIM: WTN) ("Company" or "Western") announces the Company has been added to the S&P/TSX Composite Index ("Composite") effective at the market open on Monday, March 22, 2010. The Composite is the headline index for Canada, which represents the inclusion of the largest companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the principal benchmark measure for the Canadian equity markets.

Keith Calder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Western comments, "Being added to the S&P/TSX Composite Index is an important milestone for Western Coal. It demonstrates the progress we have made, and will continue to make, in growing the company and increasing value for shareholders. It will also add additional visibility for the company in the investment community and provide access to new index-based funds. "

SinoCoking Commences Construction of New Coking Facility

SinoCoking Coal and Coke Chemical Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOK) (the “company” or “SinoCoking”) today announced that it broke ground today on the construction of its new state-of-the-art coking facility in Pingdingshan city, in Henan Province, China. The new coking facility, which will cost an estimated $70 million to complete, is expected to launch production of metallurgical and chemical coke, coal gas, and various chemical products by early 2011. The cleaner, more efficient coking facility will have an anticipated maximum annual production capacity of 900,000 metric tons of coke. SinoCoking management projects that if completed as planned, the launch of the new facility could result in a five-fold or more increase in the company’s annual coke production and sales volume from the fiscal year 2012 and beyond, compared to current levels.

SinoCoking Provides Update on Coal Mining Sector Consolidation in Henan Province

SinoCoking Coal and Coke Chemical Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOK) (the “Company” or “SinoCoking”) today announced its plans to consolidate local area coal mines as a part of the government-directed consolidation of the coal mining industry in the Pindingshan region of Henan Province, China.

According to government sources, Henan province in central China is in the process of consolidating coal mines with a production capacity below 300,000 tons per year, and will only approve new mines with an output capacity of at least 450,000 tons per year. The Henan plan is a part of a general policy in China to consolidate its coal industry in order to improve production efficiency and reduce coal mine accidents. The plan is modeled after a pilot consolidation program in Shanxi province that was conducted last year. In 2009, Shanxi province, one of the nation’s key coal-producing regions, reduced the total number of its coal mines to 1,053 from 2,600 after consolidating all coal mines with a production capacity below 300,000 tons per year.

SinoCoking (SCOK) Approved for Listing on NASDAQ

SinoCoking Coal and Coke Chemical Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOK) (the “Company” or “SinoCoking”) announced today that it received approval from NASDAQ to list its shares on the NASDAQ Capital Market. SinoCoking’s common stock will continue to trade under the symbol “SCOK”, and trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market is expected to commence on February 18, 2010.

About SinoCoking
SinoCoking Coal and Coke Chemical Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOK) is a vertically-integrated coal and coke processor that uses coal from both its own mines and that of third-party mines to produce basic and value-added coal products for steel manufacturers, power generators, and various industrial users. SinoCoking currently holds mining rights for approximately 2.5 million tons of coal from mines located in the Henan Province in central China.