PLN mulls coal import

State electricity firm PT PLN (Persero) may import 9 million tonnes of coal in 2011 to fuel its power plants; CEO Dahlan Iskan was quoted by Detik.Com as saying on Thursday.

Dahlan told parliamentary hearing in Jakarta that PLN may import the fuel as domestic producers are not able to supply its entire coal requirement despite the fact that the government has required coal producers to set aside some of their production for domestic needs.

?PLN doesn?t wan to beg (coal producers) for coal supply,? he said, adding that the company is currently in talks with Australian producers.

Indonesia is the world?s largest thermal coal producer with production of around 230 million tonnes. PLN needs some 30 million tonnes of coal next year, Dahlan said. (*)