Government asked to shift to coal energy

The Association of the Geological Experts (IAGI) has asked the government to change the existing energy policy so that the abundant coal deposits in the country could be widely used as alternative source of energy to oil and gas, Investor Daily reported on Wednesday.

"The existing coal deposits can meet the energy needs for at least 200 years," said the chairman of the association, Andang Bachtiar.

According to him, the government's policy to emphasize the use of oil and gas could pose a serious threat to the sustainability of the economic development, given the fact that the country has turned into net oil importer due to the continued decline in its oil production.

He said that the draft Energy Law now being prepared by the government should, for example, take into account the latest condition in the country's oil and gas production. "The draft should be improved so that it would not only accommodate the new energy paradigm but also can ensure a long-term energy problem. (*)