Jambi Governor Has Not Opened The Coal Transport Landline, Still Passing The River

Jambi Governor Al Haris during the declaration of the construction of a special coal road in Jambi some time ago. (ANTARA/Nanang Mairiadi)

Jambi Governor Al Haris stated that to this day coal transportation operations are still passing through the river, where the provincial government has not been able to respond to a letter from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Number: T-169/MB.05/DJB.B/2024 requesting that the land route be reopened after being closed by the local government.

"Regarding the issue of coal transportation, the Jambi Government also does not want to harm the community and I have read the letter from the Center. The letter confirms that the local government should consider whether to continue using river transportation and also use land, and we choose the river route," said Al Haris, in Jambi reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, January 30.

The governor emphasized that until now coal transportation uses the river route. The supply of coal to PLN is still ongoing.

"I think for the time being the supply of coal for PLN will continue to run through the river and we are still looking for the best solution for the transportation," he said.

Previously, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDEM) sent a letter to the Governor of Jambi, Al Haris with Number: T-169/MB.05/DJB.B/2024. In the attachment to the letter, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources asked for a request to support the implementation of coal transportation in Jambi province.

The letter was signed by the Acting Director General of Mineral and Coal, Bambang Suswanto.

Before being sent to the Governor of Jambi, the letter was a copy of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, the Secretary General of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Director of Coal Transportation Development, in which the letter was in connection with the issuance of the Jambi Governor's Instruction Number: 1/INGUB/DISHUB/2024 of 2024.

The Governor's instruction is about regulating coal transportation traffic, which in principle supports this policy, especially in encouraging coal mining entrepreneurs to accelerate the completion of the construction of special coal transportation roads and ensure the smooth distribution of logistics for the 2024 election.

The letter stated that on the other hand, coal is still a commodity that supports the sustainability of electricity supply for PLN for the Sumatra region.

By stopping the transportation of coal by land in the Jambi Province, it is feared that it will affect the supply of coal for the provision of electricity in the Sumatra region.

The letter submitted the following proposal, namely first to be able to reconsider the opening of coal transportation, either by river or by land route, for mine owners who are far away and/or not on river routes.

Then based on the right traffic engineering management scheme, secondly, if violations are found in its implementation, the Jambi Governor can re-evaluate the operation of coal transportation.