SBY encourages households and SMEs to use coal briquette

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called on households and small and medium scales enterprises (SMEs) to use coal briquette in a bid to reduce the country?s reliance on oil and gas, Investor daily reported Thursday.

?I believe the use of coal briquette will be economically cheaper than diesel oil or kerosene,? the President, who is more popularly called with the initial of its name SBY, was quoted as saying.

Speaking at a seminar on energy diversification at the Jakarta Fairground on Tuesday, the President said although coal has become a source of energy for large industries in Indonesia, its use for households is still relatively new.

The President said that in the past the use of coal briquette was much more expensive than kerosene due to the latter?s high subsidy. ?But after the government lowered the subsidy and sell the kerosene at Rp 2,000 per litter to households, the use of coal briquette is much more cheaper now,? he said.

The President also called on the country?s industries to take part in the production of coal briquette and sell them to households. ?Coal briquette can be produced both by small and large scale industries,? he said. (*)