Specialist hard-coking coal-mine developer Bathurst Resources has upgraded its estimated West Coast coal reserves by 11% to a total 94.5 million tonnes - on the eve of the latest Environment Court battle with mining opponents.
Aside from boutique coal production from its Cascade mine next to the Denniston plateau above Westport, Bathurst is preparing to begin mining up to 4 million tonnes of export coking coal from around the plateau.
Yesterday, Bathurst said since late 2011 it had completed a 154-hole drilling programme across North and South Buller, with estimated reserves across the latter increasing 76% to 23.8 million tonnes, largely from an additional 9.6 million tonnes across Whareatea West, Coal-brookdale and Cascade.
Forest and Bird and the West Coast Environment Network will meet Bathurst in the Environment Court, beginning at the end of the month, to challenge 22 consents the company was granted by two West Coast councils more than a year ago.
Bathurst, having faced multiple legal challenges and having spent about $250 million so far, is about a year behind schedule to begin operations, while the environmentalists have campaigned relentlessly on the loss of a unique biodiversity in the face of open-cast mining on the Denniston plateau.
Bathurst chief executive Hamish Bohannan, who made no mention of any potential mine-life extension yesterday, said drilling programmes this year would focus on identifying further reserves in the South Buller permitted area.
