Suralaya power plant to use up to 10.5 million tons of coal this year

The management of the Suralaya power plant will use up to 10.5 million tons of coal this year, an increase of 8.3 percent from the previous year to meet the increase in the power plant?s generating capacity to 22,000 GWh a year, Bisnis Indonesia reported on Friday.

General Manager of the Merak-based power plant Lili Tjarli Tahlan said in Jakarta on the coal would be procured by PT Bukit Asam in Tanjung Enim, South Sumatra which will supply about 6.1 million tons, PT Kideco and PT Adaro, both in East Kalimantan, which will supply about one million respectively.

He said that although the remainders would come from the spot market he assured that the coal would be purchased from "formal" sources. Lili dismissed allegation that the company would buy from illegal coal producers to cope with the power plant?s growing coal demand.

According to Lili, the power plant which uses about 30,000 tons of coal a day, has also increased the stock capacity from 15 days to 2 months to anticipate a possible disruption in the coal supply. (*)