PTBA plans to increase output by 25% next year
Thursday, October 13 2016 - 02:05 AM WIB
Corporate Secretary Adib Ubaidillah was quoted by cnnindonesia.com as saying Thursday that the planned increase in the output is in line with the current rising trend in the price of the commodity and the planned increase in the company?s coal transportation capacity. ?We plan to increase production by 25 percent next year (from the production target of this year),? he told the news portal.
He added the company will coordinate with state-owned railway firm PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) to ensure that the capacity expansion of the coal transport via railway in South Sumatra can be completed by end of this year. The company?s coal transport capacity via rail currently stands at 15 million tons per year.
Adib said that PTBA holds huge resources at its mines in South Sumatra, which can have mine life of up to 100 years assuming an annual production rate of 30 million tons.
As per end of August of this year, PTBA?s coal production reached 11.3 million tons, or a mere 43.88 percent of the total production target of 25.75 million tons, which is a 34 percent increase from the previous year?s output of 19.24 million tons.
The news portal said that PTBA plans to further bolster production to 60 million tons per year by 2020.
It added that PTBA currently holds mineable reserves of 3.3 billion tons in concession areas totaling 93,000 hectares.
Elsewhere, Adib said that PTBA is looking to diversify its export market to China and India, beyond its traditional export markets of Japan, Malaysia and Taiwan.
He said that the company was looking for opportunity to export its medium quality coal, which accounts for around 70 percent of its reserves. (*)