Bukit Asam to expand Kertapati coal terminal

State owned coal producer PT Batubara Bukit Asam will expand its coal terminal at the Kertapati railway station in Palembang to anticipate an increase in the shipment of its coal to gas power plant in Suralaya, West Java and to export markets, Sriwijaya Pos reported on Saturday.

Dadan Wuswandana, the head of the Kertapati coal terminal, said that the monthly volume of coal transported through the terminal had increased by 10 percent to 110,000 tons from 100,000 tons previously.

He said that the current receiving capacity of the terminal is no longer enough to accommodate a further increase in the volume of coal shipped through the railway terminal. About 60 percent of the coal transported through the terminal were sold to the Suralaya power plant, and the other 40 percent for overseas buyers.

Bukit Asam transports its coal to its Tarahan coal terminal in Panjang, Lampung before being shipped either to the Suralaya power plant or to its overseas buyers.

This year, the company expects to sell about 1.7 million tons of coal, an increase from about $1.5 million tons at present. (*)