Hard Creek Nickel intersects 20 metres of 0.24% Ni and 0.60 g/t Pt + Pd in new discovery area

Hard Creek Nickel Corp. is pleased to provide analytical results for an additional 8 diamond drill holes, totaling 1,888 metres (6,194 feet) from the recently completed 75 hole drilling program at its 100% owned Turnagain Project, located 70 km (43.5 miles) east of Dease Lake in British Columbia. Results for 35 of the drill holes have now been released with the analytical results for the remaining 40 holes to be reported when they are received.

Results are reported from exploration holes in the Mandible, Central and Cliff areas. Drill hole locations can be viewed on a plan map at www.hardcreeknickel.com/plan.htm.

�Drilling of the three exploration targets this year resulted in the discovery of a new combined PGE and nickel mineralized zone which is over two kilometres east of the main Horsetrail deposit,� said Mark Jarvis, President of Hard Creek Nickel. �The Cliff mineralization is very similar to the new PGE � nickel drill intersections recently reported on ZoneNovember 27, 2007 in the Horsetrail deposit.

�We have now identified two totally separate areas which host both nickel and platinum-palladium mineralization. The potential to include platinum and palladium as a portion of our overall resource in two separate areas could be very significant. Close spaced drilling will be required during the next drill season to determine the significance and extent of this mineralization.�

Holes 07-236, 237 and 238 were drilled in the Cliff area, located approximately 2.5 kilometres (1.5 mile) east of the main Horsetrail zone. A 1997 hole, located 600 metres (1,969 feet) east of hole 07-237 and oriented to test the depth extension of net-textured sulfides located adjacent to the ultramafic-phyllite contact, intersected 50 metres (164 feet) of elevated platinum and palladium, including nine 2 metre (6.5 feet) long samples with greater than 500 ppb (0.50 grams/tonne) combined platinum and palladium. Pt/Pd ratios are consistently close to 1:1.

A number of electromagnetic conductors, located in the southern portion of the Cliff ultramafic body, remain untested as do several other sulfide bearing rock outcrops. To date, only seven drill holes have tested the 0.6 by 2 kilometre (0.4 x 1.2 mile) Cliff ultramafic body. Two holes drilled in this area in 2007 remain to be reported.

Both holes 07-230 and 231 were drilled in the Mandible area approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) northwest of the main Horsetrail zone. These holes tested areas of dunite where surface sampling indicated the presence of finely disseminated pentlandite, containing 0.1 - 0.2% nickel in sulfides.

Holes 07-233, 234 and 235 were drilled in the Central area, located approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mile) northwest of the main Horsetrail zone, to test mineralized wehrlite outcrops, the source of mineralized float and a weak airborne electromagnetic anomaly.However, drilling indicated the diorite-granodiorite intrusion and its peripheral dykes were more extensive than originally interpreted, significantly reducing the volume of favourable ultramafic rocks.

The total nickel values reported in the table below include nickel in both sulfide and non-sulfide minerals.

Given the limited amount of drilling in these exploration areas, the true widths are not known, however they have been estimated to be approximately 80 percent of reported core intervals. Samples for analysis were generally 4 metres in length of split NQ-size core.Reference pulps with known nickel, copper, platinum and palladium values were inserted every 25 core samples and rock blanks inserted every 30 samples to monitor laboratory performance as part of the QC/QA program.

Total nickel and cobalt values were determined by ICP emission spectrometry following four acid digestion of a representative pulp sample. Platinum and palladium values were determined by ICP emission spectrometry following lead-collection fire assay fusion of a 30 gram pulp. All analytical work was conducted by Acme Analytical Laboratories Ltd., an ISO 9001 registered facility, located in Vancouver. IPL, an ISO 9001 registered facility, also located in Vancouver, is carrying out check analyses on ten percent of the samples.

The Turnagain Nickel Project resource has been recently estimated (see December 10, 2007 News Release for details) with the measured and indicated resource estimated at 489 million tonnes grading 0.22% total nickel (0.16% nickel in sulfides) and 0.012% cobalt and an additional inferred resource of 560 million tonnes grading 0.20% total nickel (0.15% nickel in sulfides) and 0.011% cobalt. The sulfide nickel and cobalt grades are based on an analytical procedure employed by Acme Laboratories that consists of a concentrated hydrogen peroxide plus ammonium acetate leaching solution that is believed to be selective at dissolving nickel and cobalt from sulfide mineral species while leaving the nickel and cobalt in silicates undissolved. As a precautionary step all the sulfide nickel grades were assigned a value of zero if the corresponding sulphur assay was less than 0.2% S. Sulphur assays were based on Leco furnace method except for results obtained in 2006 which were ICP analysis. This precaution may cause an underestimation of the nickel resource and could be large enough to be a material impact. However, this approach limits the possibility that an overestimation of the nickel resource has occurred. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.

This news release has been reviewed and approved by Neil Froc, P.Eng., a qualified person consistent with NI 43-101.�

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Hard Creek Nickel Corporation
�MARK JARVIS�

MARK JARVIS, President

The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this news release.

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