Four more briquet plants

JAKARTA (JP): State-owned mining firm PT Bukit Asam in cooperation with Japan's Institute for Technology and Energy Development (NEDO) will build four more coal briquette plants to meet growing local demand.

Minister of Mines and Energy I.B. Sudjana said yesterday the four plants, which will cost Rp 80 billion (US$33.2 million), would be built in Semarang and Cilacap, Central Java, Serang, West Java, and Gresik, East Java.

Sudjana said each plant would be able to produce about 120,000 tons of briquette coal a year, Antara reported .

"The planned plants will raise the total capacity of Bukit Asam to about 1 million tons or 50 percent of potential demand," he said.

Briquette coals are used as cooking oil by people in remote areas as a wood substitute.

At present Bukit Asam operates a coal briquette plant in Tanjung Enim, South Sumatra, with a production capacity of 10,000 tons a year. (02)