Clamp down on illegal coal miners to affect power generation in Java: Association

The current clamp down by the South Kalimantan Police on illegal coal miners in the province would affect the supply of coal to coal-fired power plants in the main Java-Bali network system, according to an association.

The Kompas daily quoted chairman of the people miners association (Aspera) Syamsul Daulah over the weekend as saying that the miners had supplied around 2,500 tons of coal per month to key power plants in Java.

He added that this represents around 25 percent of the coal needs of the plants.

Aspera, which mainly groups illegal coal miners, has protested the move by the local police to intensify curb on the illegal miners. The police had seized heavy equipments owned by the miners during the recent raid.

Aspera also claimed that their activities had contributed positively to the local administratin as they had been paying reclamation funds and royalties.

The association also demanded the police to immediately release the confiscated mining equipments. It also protested the huge fee of between Rp 50 million to Rp 100 million demanded by the police for the release of each heavy equipment.(*)