The project area spans 10,000 hectares in permits that “largely surround” Solid Energy’s 2 million tonne per annum coking coal Stockton mine.

Bathurst is moving fast, recently awarding a definitive feasibility study to Marston International while still conducting due diligence on the project.

The Perth-based junior also revealed in its quarterly report yesterday that it is yet to finalise the purchase from L&M Coal.

The company is targeting a 1Mtpa operation and drilling has started to help reach an exploration target of 50-90Mt.

Discussions with labour and equipment providers, government departments, power suppliers and rail and port infrastructure providers all started up towards the end of March.

In February Bathurst had another opportunity to scoop up CIT Capital holding company BD Acquisition, which owns the Black Diamond coal mine and other exploration assets in the Appalachian Basin in Kentucky.

But the company decided to not complete the acquisition and instead focus on the Buller project.

Consequently Chuck Griffith, a veteran of Appalachian coal mining, resigned from Bathurst’s board.

The company is on the hunt for independent non-executive directors and aims to make the appointments by the end of June.

Bathurst held $A844,000 of cash at the end of March.

Shares in the company are up 7.1% this morning to 15c.