The Australia-based company, which listed on the Australian Securites Exchange in November last year, has Centennial Coal founder Bob Cameron as its chairman and Mitch Jakeman on its mining advisory board.

In the company’s latest investor presentation, County Coal said its vision was to “develop and produce export thermal coal for delivery to Asia”

The explorer holds 681Mt of total JORC resources, with 526Mt of JORC measured resources.

County’s Shell Creek thermal coal project has a JORC resource of 371Mt and is amenable for open cut mining.

Meanwhile, the company’s Miller project has a 310Mt JORC measured resource and is amenable to an open cut or shallow underground mining method.

County Coal is aiming to increase its current resource base to more than 1 billion tonnes over the next 12 months by conducting further drilling at its projects.

In the short to medium term, County Coal will focus on its Miller project, with washability studies at the tenement tipped to commence in the second quarter of 2012.

Mine planning will start in the fourth quarter.

At its Shell Creek project, County Coal will undertake a stage 2 resource upgrade drilling program in the fourth quarter to upgrade the full resource to JORC measured status.

County Coal is also planning to start work on defining infrastructure for rail and port options.

The Powder River Basin is a major thermal geological coal-bearing region in northeast Wyoming.

The PRB produced 375Mt of thermal coal in 2010.

County Coal has a market capitalisation of $A65.6 million.