PLN looks for vessels to transport coal

State electricity firm PLN is planning to form a shipping consortium to transport its soaring coal coal requirement with the aim being able to start operations second half of the year, a report said on Monday

Bisnis Indonesia daily reported Company?s Chief Commissioner Al Hilal Hamdi said that PLN will spend up to US$1.1 billion to charter coal vessels to meet its future need to transport up to 40 million tonnes of coal annually from mines to its power plants that would be scattered across the archipelago.

The daily said to meet growing coal requirement for its proposed 10,000-MW new power plants, PLN would need eight panamaxes, five handymaxes and 157 sets of tugs and barges. (*)