With Luhut's 'blessing', Bukit Asam Exported 1.5 Million Tons Of Coal To China

The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, shakes hands with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chinese State Advisor Wang Yi. (Photo: Doc, Antara)

JAKARTA - PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA) is targeting an increase in the company's coal sales volume in 2021. This sales plan is quite high compared to 2020, this is because businesses and industries at home and abroad have started to revive. Thus encouraging demand for coal.

Bukit Asam Commercial Director Adib Ubaidillah said that in 2021, Bukit Asam would continue to export coal to Japan, Taiwan and Malaysia. In addition, the company is also exploring the possibility of exporting to a new country, namely Chile in South America.

Meanwhile, said Adib, the volume of coal exports to China this year has increased compared to 2020. In January 2021, this mining BUMN has signed an agreement to sell coal to China amounting to 1.5 million tons.

"We have signed an agreement for coal sales to China in front of Pak Luhut Pandjaitan in January 2021, there are 1.5 million tons," he said in a virtual press conference, Friday, March 12.

Implementation of health protocols at the PT Bukit Asam Tbk office. (Photo: Doc. Bukit Asam)

Adib said the export volume was 15 percent greater than in 2020. Because last year coal demand from China was disrupted in line with the COVID-19 pandemic which disrupted industrial performance.

Furthermore, he said, in 2020 demand has fallen quite a bit in China. Even so, when viewed as a whole, coal exports from China since 2019 have increased by 15 percent every year.

"So for China there is an increase for exports. The sale of coal to China was initiated by the APBI (Indonesian Coal Entrepreneurs Association)," he said.