Tambang Batubara?s coal delivery to Suralaya to drop

State coal miner PT Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam (PTBA) says it will be able to deliver only 6.8 million tons of coal from South Sumatra to Banten?s Suralaya power plant this year, down from the originally planned 7.8 million tons, due to transportation disruption, Suara Pembaruan daily reported on Friday.

?We estimate we shall be able to deliver only 6.8 million tons this year,? PTBA president director Ismed Harmaini said on Thursday in a meeting between company executives and members of South Sumatra provincial legislative council.

Ismed said trains carrying PTBA?s coal from South Sumatra to Lampung had not been able to operate normally over the past months because a 50-meter segment of the South Sumatra-Lampung railway was partly broken.

He said they had asked state railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia to repair the railway. The company?s officials said however they lacked funds to repair the railway, according to Ismed.

The transportation disruption could cause PTBA suffer losses of Rp200 billion this year (US$=Rp8,712), Ismed said.

PTBA operates coalmines in South Sumatra, and is one of Indonesia?s top coal producers with coal output reaching 10 million tons annually.

Meanwhile, Suralaya, which needs around 30,000 tons of coal per day, has received coal also from PT Adaro Indonesia, PT Kideco Jaya Agung, and PT Arha Daya Coalindo which operate in Kalimantan. (*)