Tapin Coal Terminal to operate this year end

By Er Audy Zandri

Having started its construction stage in early April 2011, the much anticipated Tapin Coal Terminal is expected to be completed, immediately followed by initial operation, at the end of this year.

"We have spent around US$20 million worth of investment (for the terminal), expecting it to handle up to 6 million tons of coal transport per year," said Tapin Coal Terminal Director Yanuar Samron to Petromindo.com.

The terminal is located in a 50 hectares of land at KM 101 of the Tatakan area in Tapin regency, South Kalimantan, though the finished construction of the terminal takes up only about 16 hectares of the overall area. The planned construction stage also includes a 28.6 kilometer coal hauling road from Tatak to Margosari village.

"The rest of the area will be allocated for the next construction stages in the coming year, including washing plant and further expansion according to demand," he said, adding that the opening of the terminal should ease coal logistic supply in the area after the closing of several ports for coal through the release of Regional Regulation 03/2008.

The Tapin Coal Terminal, a project of PT Bara Indo Multicoal, was designed and constructed through cooperation with Indonesian universities, namely Bandung Institute of Technology and Gajah Mada University.

Editing by Adianto P. Simamora