{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1676161,
        "msgid": "ptba-prepares-coal-downstreaming-into-gas-and-soil-fertility-products-1776145862",
        "date": "2026-04-14 12:00:00",
        "title": "PTBA Prepares Coal Downstreaming into Gas and Soil Fertility Products",
        "author": "",
        "source": "CNBC",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Energy",
        "summary": "PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA) is advancing coal downstreaming initiatives to transform into a world-class energy company, supporting Indonesia's national energy and food security goals under the Asta Cita agenda. Key projects include a coal-to-synthetic natural gas (SNG) facility in a joint venture with PT Perusahaan Gas Negara Tbk (PGN), targeting 237 BBTUD capacity and offering up to 5.7 times added value over raw coal sales, and a coal-to-dimethyl ether (DME) project with Pertamina to substitute imported LPG, providing 4.3 times value addition. Additionally, PTBA is commercialising potassium humate production in collaboration with UPN to enhance soil fertility, aiming for a 10,000-tonne annual plant that could yield 29 times the value of raw coal.",
        "content": "<p>PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA) has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting\ncoal downstreaming as part of its transformation into a world-class\nenergy company. PTBA\u2019s President Director, Arsal Ismail, stated that the\ndownstreaming programme currently underway is a strategic step to\nincrease added value. Through this initiative, PTBA supports the\ngovernment\u2019s agenda to strengthen national energy and food security.\n\u201cThrough downstreaming, we are committed to supporting the\nimplementation of the government\u2019s Asta Cita, particularly in\nstrengthening national energy and food security,\u201d Arsal said during a\nWorking Meeting with Commission XII of the House of Representatives on\nMonday (13\/4\/2026). Arsal detailed one of the projects being developed\nas the coal-to-synthetic natural gas (SNG) project. This project aims to\nprovide an alternative gas supply, particularly in the South Sumatra to\nWest Java region. In its development plan, the SNG project requires\naround 9 million tonnes of coal and is targeted to produce a capacity of\n237 BBTUD. In the development scheme, PTBA will form a joint venture\nwith PT Perusahaan Gas Negara Tbk (PGN), which will also serve as the\n100% off-taker of the SNG produced. \u201cEconomically, the SNG product will\nbe able to provide added value of up to 5.7 times compared to raw coal\nsales,\u201d Arsal said. Besides SNG, PTBA is also developing a\ncoal-to-dimethyl ether (DME) downstreaming project as a substitute for\nimported LPG. This project is targeted to have a capacity of around 1.4\nmillion tonnes and is expected to provide added value of up to 4.3\ntimes. In its implementation, PTBA will act as the factory operator as\nwell as the coal supplier. Meanwhile, Pertamina will be the off-taker\nabsorbing the entire DME production. \u201cThis is still in process; we are\nproceeding with Danantara, hopefully the economics will make PTBA even\nbetter,\u201d he said. Not only that, PTBA is also venturing into\ndownstreaming to support food security through the development of\npotassium humate products. This product, resulting from collaborative\nresearch with UPN, functions as a soil conditioner that can improve soil\nfertility. \u201cAs a commercialisation stage, a factory is planned with a\ncapacity of 10,000 tonnes per year. This product certainly has very\nsignificant added value, reaching up to 29 times compared to raw coal,\u201d\nhe said.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ptba-prepares-coal-downstreaming-into-gas-and-soil-fertility-products-1776145862",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}