Muaraenim regency plans to build a coal port

The Muaraenim regency's administration is currently studying the possibility of developing a coal port in the regency's largest river, Sungai Merak, to help cope with the transportation problem of the coal from the area, Sriwijaya Post reported on Thursday.

Muaraenim regent said that based on an initial survey, the river with the depth of 30 meters was deep enough for the shipment of coal to both local and foreign buyers.

Muaraenim is the production base of the state owned coal producer PT Batubara Bukit Asam (PTBA), one of the largest coal producers in the country. The company transports its coal through railway to a coal terminal in Tarahan, Lampung province before delivering them by ships to its buyers. The poor railway road however often hampers the coal shipment.

PTBA's spokesman Arifnaldi Alwi however said that the company's management had not been informed about the plan. "We don't know yet about the plan," he said. (*)