Purnomo sees 2008 coal production at 250MT

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Monday that Indonesia is expected to rpoduce 250 million tonnes of coal in 2008, up from around 200 million tonnes next year.

Purnomo when addressing Coaltrans conference in Bali said that the figure include production from mining authorization.

Purnomo said that the number is expected to be further increase next year due to strong demand from international and domestic market.

Purnomo said further that Indonesia would not take action to curb coal export as feared by many industry players but said that the government is prioritizing domestic consumption. He did not elaborate further.

Purnomo also urged investors to invest in coal transportation and logistics facility to maintain production growth. (alex/denny)