The total is made up of a maiden indicated resource of 18.8Mt and a maiden inferred resource of 126Mt.

Drilling within the Collingwood and Bushranger project areas has identified additional resource targets in the southeastern and southwestern extents, where the coal is flat-lying and remains shallow.

Exploration potential in the different projects remained open in most directions, Cockatoo director Peter Nightingale said.

The draft environmental impact statement for the Woori project has been submitted to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection for review.

The Woori project EIS started in 2009 and is one of the North Surat Joint Venture's most advanced projects.

The key findings of the EIS have shown that all environmental impacts are able to be managed to acceptable levels, according to Nightingale.

“The company will continue to work with the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection through the approvals process and is expecting the environmental authority and associated mining lease to be granted during 2013,” he said.

“These activities mark the substantial completion of works at the company’s Surat Basin projects while awaiting more clarity regarding the development progress of the proposed Surat Basin Railway and other major coal mine developments in the region.”

Nightingale said the reporting period saw the finalisation of all the base line technical reports including strategic cropping land investigations, flora and fauna studies, groundwater investigations and air and noise modelling.