Coal buyers asked to boycott illegal coal miners

The provincial government of South Kalimantan has asked coal buyers to boycott coal illegally produced by unlicensed mining companies in the province in a bid to help curb the growing activities of illegal coal miners, Kompas reported in Jakarta on Saturday.

The head of mining office and energy in the province, Priyo Pranoto, said in Banjarmasin on Friday that his office had sent letters to coal buyers asking them not to buy coal from unlicensed coal producers in order to eliminate illegal coal mining.

He said the local authority also provided coal buyers names of coal mining companies that have operated under proper licenses. "They are encouraged to buy only from the recommended names which are updated every three months," he said.

According to him, the measure has indicated a positive result as seen in a decline in the sales of illegal coal in the province. Almost all major coal buyers in the country such as Suralaya power plant, Indonesia Power, Paiton, Semen Gresik, Semen Tonasa and Tjiwi Kimia are now more selective in deciding from which companies they will buy the coal.

Besides surveying the illegal miners, the provincial authority also closely monitors production of licensed coal producers to ensure that the illegal coal will not be sold through the licensed companies, Priyo said.

The number of illegal miners continue to increase not only in South Kalimantan but also in other parts of the island due to the lack of control. (*)