RI, South Korea to develop coal technology
RI, South Korea to develop coal technology
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia and South Korea will cooperate in developing coal briquette technology, in a bid to promote the use of that fuel in households and small industries.
The Indonesian and South Korean governments signed yesterday a cooperation agreement, whereby they will study the development of the most suitable coal briquette technology to be applied in Indonesia.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Director General of Mines Kuntoro Mangkusubroto said that the cooperation is part of Indonesian efforts to develop other alternative forms of energy, to curb the domestic consumption of oil.
"Kerosene and wood are the typical fuels used for households and small industries in Indonesia. To preserve forests from deforestation and utilize oil resources efficiently, the government has decided to promote the coal briquette as a fuel substitute," he said.
Currently, out of the primary energy mix consumed in Indonesia, 40 percent is still provided by oil, 30 percent by biomass, 20 percent by natural gas and 10 percent by other energy sources, including coal. By the year 2002, the share of oil is projected to decline to about 30 percent and the share of coal will jump to 56 percent, due to the government's energy diversification policy.
Coal is abundantly available in Indonesia -- the world's third largest producer of coal after Australia and South Africa. Unfortunately, coal does not belong to the category of ideal energy alternatives. The plan to use coal extensively for fuel has not yet been received warmly by the general public.
Worry
Kuntoro pointed out that as long as the standard consistency is maintained, the worry in using coal can be minimized. In addition, the application of proper clean-coal technology will make it possible for coal utilization to have only a minimum negative impact on the environment, especially with Indonesia's favorable coal quality.
"Coal is truly a great opportunity for Indonesia. We have to capitalize on it to support the sustainable economic development," he noted.
To develop such an energy, the government has, since April, 1993, selected three villages in Java for pilot projects. The result of that campaign, until now, shows that people are starting to accept the coal briquette for household purposes.
"We still need to do more work, such as improving the quality of coal briquettes, making the briquettes easier to ignite and reducing smoke and odor," he said.
He added that, under the cooperation with South Korea, which is said to have greatly benefited from the coal briquette technology, the additional work can be accomplished.
By the fiscal years 1998/1999 and 2003/2004, coal briquettes used by households are predicted to reach 4.8 million and 12 million tons respectively. (13)