Altai Resources Inc. Offers Power Miner For Web-Based Monitoring And Control Of Industrial Energy Use.

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 27, 1999--

Altai Resources Inc. (TSE:ATI; US Sec. Rule 12g3-2(b) File # 82-2950), through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Altai Technologies Inc., announces Power Miner(tm), an innovative system for commercial and industrial consumers to monitor and control their use of electricity, gas, water and other forms of power. The system covers multiple points within a building, plant or store, and multiple sites even in different cities, using the World-Wide Web.

In the year 2000, the electricity market in Ontario will be deregulated, with many resellers (such as a local utility or energy marketer) competing to sell electric power at rates that will vary from day to day and hour to hour, according to overall demand. With Power Miner, commercial and industrial users can save money by turning machines off or down when demand and rates are high. Many users have the flexibility to do this, but need Power Miner's real-time information on rates and their own usage patterns. The resellers, as the sponsors of Power Miner, use the system to attract and retain customers by matching their pricing packages to consumer needs. These resellers will also be able to purchase their bulk power at better rates based on more detailed energy consumption data.

Altai's Power Miner works with both existing metering systems, and new metering systems that communicate inexpensively through the power lines themselves. Power Miner will have analysis and control programs, and a web-based presentation of data that allows authorized users to see, analyze and datamine energy-load patterns over multiple sites, any where in the world.

Dromey Design Inc. of St. Catharines, Ontario, a leading developer of software packages for the power industry in North and South America, has agreed to work with Altai in the development of state-of-the-art, client-based business tools. "In view of the coming de-regulation," says Gordon Dromey, President of Dromey Design Inc., "we believe that there will be a need for new products that will supply anticipated needs..."

Altai is talking with other strategic partners, who will play a key role in extending the Power Miner solution to the rapidly deregulating markets in gas and electricity across North America, (over half the American states have legislation or regulations in place, according to the US Department of Energy) and to a wide range of other kinds of data such as environmental factors.

Altai's Project Director, Gary Michor, brings to the project his background in the field and experience as a representative of IPPSO (Independent Power Producers and Suppliers of Ontario) on the IT Stakeholders Team of the IMO (Independent Market Operator).