RI's coal output to drop this year
Wednesday, September 6 2000 - 07:00 AM WIB
Director general of general mining at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral resources Surna Tjahjadiningrat said the country's coal output was projected to drop to 60 million to 65 million tons this year, from around 70 million tons last year.
He said the decrease in the coal output was because coal-mining companies faced many problems, including illegal mining activities, striking workers and dispute with local people.
Surna also said his office was formulating a strategy to boost mining investment at the request of Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro.
Surna was speaking on the sideline of the ceremony to award coal contracts to the subsidiaries of Australian firm Broken Hill Proprietary Ltd (BHP) to renew the contracts of tin mining company PT Koba Tin and granite mining company PT Karimun Granite. (godang)