65 firms pick up tender documents to supply coal to PLN

As many as 65 firms have come to the office of state owned electricity firm PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) to pick up tender documents for the supply of a total of 3.26 million tons of low-calorie coal to the 10,000 MW power plant projects.

?Actually, there are 96 firms that have registered their names, but only 65 of them have thus far came to pick up the pre-qualification tender documents,? PLN?s Primary Energy Task Force Nasri Sebayang said on Friday, adding the firms include state owned coal miner PT Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam (PTBA), PT Adaro Indonesia, PT Central Korporindo (Cenko) and PT Kideco Jaya Agung.

Nasri said the firms that have picked up the documents are supposed to return them to PLN for evaluation starting Aug. 14.

?We hope all the tendering process through contract signing to be completed at the end of October,? he said.

PLN earlier said the supply contract will last for 20 years.

PLN estimated that it would need 31.9MTPA of coal when all its power plants under the 10,000-MW crash program become onstream in 2010-11. The company has secured 16.2MTPA of coal supply in the first phase tender and is in the process selecting suppliers for 12.3MTPA supply.

Nasri added that the 31.9MTPA coal requirement has calculated strategic inventory of 2MTPA. (godang)