The total resource has increased significantly from the previously announced 138.1million tonnes to 185.5Mt.

In addition, there has been a material change in JORC classification of the resource from 33.8Mt indicated and 104.3Mt inferred, to 108.8Mt measured and 23.9Mt indicated and 52.7Mt inferred.

Xenith Consulting has calculated 108Mt run-of-mine coal of proved and probable reserves.

Aquila upgraded the resource figure after drilling an additional 81 holes, determining the gas levels across the basin, and defining the lox lines in several locations around the northwestern margins of the tenement.

Washpool is immediately west of Wesfarmers’ Curragh mining operation and east of the Idemitsu-owned Ensham mine.

The feasibility study, still to be released, proposes an open cut mine, producing 1.6Mtpa of high rank, hard coking coal over a mine life of up to 25 years.

Aquila has also started a review of the overburden to investigate removal, and has studied coal quality to establish the expected yields of the Scorpio seam, which is the main target seam in the project area and part of the Burngrove formation.

This has resulted in a significantly more detailed and robust geological model leading to a definition of measured resources of 108.8Mt, and measured and indicated resources for the full project to 132.7Mt, and now covers more than 95% of the proposed life of mine plan.

Aquila has delineated the perched coal basin and found it to be continuous within the project area, dipping at 3-5 degrees from the eastern margin and more steeply from the western margin.

The target Scorpio seam is a prospective open cut coal mining target at comparatively shallow depths of 15m to 65m, with a life-of-mine strip ratio of 6.5:1.