REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The domestic consumption of coal would more than double in five years after the government carry out its program to build power plants with a total capacity of 35,000 megawatt.

Most of the power plants to be built in the next five year are expected to be coal fired power plants.

The program would need 200 million tons of coal a year, the energy and mineral resources minister Sudirman Said, pointed out.

Sudirman said currently the country's coal production averages 400 million tons a year and most of the production is exported with domestic consumption averaging only around 90 million tons a year.

Coal producers would be able to dispose of more of their production on the domestic market, he said.

The low price is the right time for consolidation, he said.

He said the government would crack down on illegal mines and maintain only mines that preserve the environment.

The producers should comply with the regulation, he said, adding there would be restriction on production, not in quantity but in quality.

The restriction is to preserve the health of the environment and to sustain production, he said.

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika