Coal production reaches 33 million tons in February

Indonesia?s coal production reached a total of 33 million tons in February, unchanged from the figures recorded in January, according to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

Edi Prasodjo, the director for coal mine development at the ministry, said in Jakarta on Friday that about 25 million tons of the total production in February was exported and the rest were sold in the domestic market, mostly to state electricity company PLN.

He said the total coal production in the first two months of this year reached 66 million tons. ?About 50 million tons of the total were exported and the remaining 16 tons were sold in the domestic market,? he said.

Compared to the same period last year, the production in January and February this year showed a rising trend, as miners began to increase production to take advantage of the rise in coal prices in the world market.

Edi said that the government?s coal reference prices reached US$90 per ton in February, a 2 percent increase from the reference price recorded in the same month last year.

With the upward trend in the coal production, the government is upbeat about the country?s total coal production would reach 391 million tons this year, rising by 1.3 percent from 386 million tons last year.

The government estimates coal exports would total 306 million tons this year, while those sold in the domestic market would reach 85 million tons. (*)