Coal gasification<\/p>\n
It is well known Indonesia's reserves of crude oil are being
\nsteadily depleted, to the extent that by 2010, if not sooner,
\nIndonesia will become a net importer of oil. This will in turn
\nhave an adverse effect on the country's foreign exchange
\nreserves. What are perhaps less widely known are Indonesia's
\ncolossal resources of coal -- 325 billion tons of the stuff, I
\nbelieve.<\/p>\n
Would it not therefore be prudent, in order to postpone the
\nday Indonesia becomes a net importer of oil, for the Government
\nto give some thought to the question of coal gasification? This
\nprocess provided Germany's wartime economy the fuel it needed to
\nsustain its huge military machine, primarily tens of thousands of
\n"gas-guzzling" Panzer tanks and the Luftwaffe, all of which ran
\non gasoline-from-coal.<\/p>\n
Like Indonesia, Germany had -- presumably still has - vast
\nreserves of coal. What it did not, and does not, have is its own
\ndomestic reserves of oil. I imagine Professor Habibie must be
\naware of this situation, but I have neither heard nor read any
\nreference to the establishment a coal gasification industry to
\nsupply the nation's need for ever increasing amounts of oil-based
\nfuels.<\/p>\n
R.B. SAWREY-COOKSON<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/coal-gasification-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }