South Sumatra earns $45.94 million from coal exports

The foreign exchanges received by South Sumatra province from coal exports dropped to US$45.94 million in 2002 from $49.75 million in the previous year due to a decline in the export volume to 1.81 million tons in 2002 from 1.92 million tons in 2001, Bisnis Indonesia reported on Thursday.

The coal remained the province?s fourth largest foreign exchange earner despite the drop after rubber, pulp and palm oil.

South Sumatra has coal reserves of about 20 billion ton in the province?s regencies of Muara Enim, Lahat, Ogan Komering Ulu, Musi Rawas and Musi Rawas Banyuasin. The coal reserves are about 52 percent of the existing coal reserves in the country. State owned coal producer PT Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam is only coal producer in the province. (*)