Dewa aims to boost Asam-Asam coal output to 10m tons

By Hiski Darmayana

IDX-listed mining services company PT Darma Henwa Tbk (Dewa) aims to almost double this year?s coal production from the Asam-asam coal project (ACP) owned by coal mining firm PT Arutmin Indonesia in South Kalimantan to 10 million tons from 5.6 million tons last year.

For overburden removal (OB) at the Asam-asam project, the company has set a target of 44 million bank cubic meters (BCM).

Head of Project at Dewa-ACP, James Gurning told Petromindo.com that the necessary equipment for this year at ACP has been entirely fulfilled. ?Therefore, ACP will not need additional heavy equipment this year,? he said.

James said that high rainfall rate in the early part of this year has become an obstacle to meeting the targets. ?During January-March, the rains were 200 percent more than what we initially predicted.?

Dewa has been developing the Asam-asam project since 2008 at a site totaling 152 hectares, which has coal reserves of about 200 million tons with calorific value of 4,800 kcal per kg.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak