{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1670354,
        "msgid": "experts-criticise-public-works-ministers-claim-of-abundant-asbuton-reserves-not-yet-verified-1775832654",
        "date": "2026-04-10 21:30:00",
        "title": "Experts Criticise Public Works Minister's Claim of Abundant Asbuton Reserves: Not Yet Verified",
        "author": "Hilda B Alexander",
        "source": "KOMPAS",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Infrastructure",
        "summary": "Experts have criticised Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo's assertion of a 649 million tonne deposit of Asbuton, Indonesia's natural asphalt from Buton, stating that the figure remains an unverified estimate lacking thorough exploration. Road pavement specialist Purnomo highlighted the technical challenges in extracting Asbuton, which is embedded in limestone rock, complicating its use in road construction and hindering the government's ambitions for national asphalt self-sufficiency. Fragmented mining permits since the reform era have further stalled serious exploration efforts, underscoring the need for more rigorous data confirmation to support infrastructure development.",
        "content": "<p>The government\u2019s ambition to achieve national asphalt\nself-sufficiency through the optimisation of Aspal Buton (Asbuton) is\nonce again confronted by technical realities and ambiguous field data.\nDespite Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo citing a large deposit of\n649 million tonnes of Asbuton in various national forums, experts warn\nthat these figures are based on assumptions rather than confirmed\nexploration facts. Road and Asphalt Pavement Expert, also a former\nDirector of Technical Development at the Directorate General of Highway\nDevelopment in the Ministry of Public Works, Purnomo, has provided\ncritical notes on the current narrative. One central issue sparking\ndoubt is the claim of reserves amounting to 649 million tonnes. Purnomo\nemphasised that this figure still holds the status of an estimate. In\nthe mining industry, this status indicates a low level of confidence due\nto the absence of confirmation through in-depth exploration. \u201cThe\ndeposit estimate is suspected but not confirmed. The data has not\nundergone adequate confirmation processes through comprehensive\nexploration,\u201d Purnomo told Kompas.com on Monday (6\/4\/2026). Since the\nreform era, the division of mining areas by local governments has been\ndeemed ineffective. Potential lands have been fragmented into small\npermits held by many parties, yet almost none have conducted serious\nexploration activities to verify the quality and quantity of reserves.\nTechnically, Asbuton has characteristics that differ greatly from liquid\npetroleum asphalt produced by earth refining. The asphalt content in\nButon deposits is trapped within limestone rock structures. This creates\nsignificant challenges in the extraction process and its application in\nroad pavements. Purnomo likened this condition to asphalt that is\ndifficult to access in performing its function as a binder for rocks.\n\u201cAsphalt\u2019s function is to bind rock mixtures. However, in Asbuton, it\n\u2018hides\u2019 in the shells of limestone rocks,\u201d he explained.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/experts-criticise-public-works-ministers-claim-of-abundant-asbuton-reserves-not-yet-verified-1775832654",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}