Government to let private sector to build coal port

By Thomas Sembiring

The government has decided to back down from its plan to build special coal ports, with Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan saying that the government would let the coal miners themselves or other private investors to build the coal ports.

?The government can?t build ports specific for coal,? he told Petromindo.com on Thursday, adding that the government will only build ports for general purposes as part of overall infrastructure development in the country.

The government in 2014 unveiled a plan to build a number of special coal ports in the country, the world?s largest thermal coal exporter, in a bid to help prevent illegal shipment of the commodity.

Under the plan, special coal ports will be built in coal producing islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra. In Kalimantan, the ports will be centered in Balikpapan, Adang Bay, Berau, Maloy, Tobaneo, Pulau Laut, Sungai Danau, and Batu Licin. In Sumatra, the ports will be centered in Aceh, Padang Bay, Riau Bay, Jambi Bay, Bengkulu Port, Tanjung Api-Api, and Tarahan.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak