Indonesia's coal reserves enough for 100 years

Minister of Mines and Energy Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in Bandung on Monday that Indonesia's coal reserves would be enough to be mined and used for the next 100 years.

But he warned that Indonesia should not mine all and waste the minerals now, but should keep most of the reserves for the next generations.

"Our coal reserves are not the heritage from our ancestors which we should finish it now. But we must keep and save them for the next generations," he said after opening the Southeast Asian Coal Geology Conference in Bandung, West Java.

He also noted that besides coal, Indonesia has ample reserves of oil and gas, and all of those minerals must be maintained and kept save for the next generations.

"The government wants to manage these three natural mineral resources in a manner which is environmentally friendly, and at the same time could encourage growth of the healthy and competitive businesses," he said.

He said the new autonomy law would give more incomes from mineral mining to local administrations, but it also gives local governments more responsibility to maintain those natural resources. (*)