In April, initial drilling at South Blackall resulted in a JORC inferred resource of 728 million tonnes of coal.

The explorer said the drill team currently being mobilised would follow targets defined in April’s scout program and would use two rigs for air core and diamond drilling.

Drilling will occur to a maximum depth of 220m as the company believes significant coal quality is apparent within this depth.

To date, the company has drilled less than 15% of the South Blackall tenement.

International Coal said independent analysis of the site had determined the potential for a large tonnage thermal coal exploration target of 8-9 billion tonnes.

Infrastructure plans are currently being developed for the region and access to ports is expected to evolve over the forthcoming years.

International reports meanwhile that its projects surrounding the nearby Bundaberg tenement are moving forward with the company devoting “significant time and resources” to the development of the area.

The company said in February that it would kick off a drilling program at Bundaberg after concluding a landowner compensation agreement.