Felix said the new parties had “sufficient creditability and capacity to complete a transaction” for control of the company.

In July, Felix said it was in discussions with a number of parties looking to acquire 100% of the miner – discussions that it planned would have been finalised by now.

“However due to the significant volatility and uncertainty that exists in the global markets, that has not been achievable in the anticipated timeframe,” Felix said in a statement.

Felix said the continuing discussions with all third parties were incomplete, non-binding and conditional and gave no guarantee a deal would result.

Coal analysts have said Felix could catch the eyes of big players such as BHP Billiton, Xstrata, Vale and Rio Tinto.

Last month, Felix gave the development go-ahead for its dogged 21-year Moolarben coal mine in New South Wales, where it has an underground thermal coal capacity of 10 million tonnes per annum.

Felix was trading down 6% in midday trade at $A10.71.