Support Government Target Towards Net Zero Emission, These Are Three Strategies Of Bukit Asam

Coal mining activities of PT Bukit Asam in Tanjung Enim, Muara Enim Regency, South Sumatra. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA) is committed to supporting the government's target of achieving zero emissions or Net Zero Emission by 2060.

PTBA has a roadmap of carbon management until 2050, both emission reduction and increased emission absorption (increase carbon sinks).

With the vision of becoming a world-class energy and chemical company, there are three approaches taken by PTBA based on the carbon management roadmap until 2050, namely operational decarbonization, reclamation, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) studies.

PTBA's Corporate Secretary Apollonius Andwie said, in terms of decarbonization of operations, the company implemented Eco Mechanized Mining, namely replacing mining equipment that uses fossil fuels to be electric.

"Several electrical-based tools that have been used by PTBA include 7 Electric Excavations type Shovel PC-3000, 40 Duk Trucks class 100 Tons of hybrid (Diesel and Electricity), and 6 Electric-based Mining Pumps. As a result, the intensity of PTBA's energy use is at 0.279 GJ per tonne and continues to decline," he said in an official statement, Monday, October 10.

Not only that, Apollonius said his company also implemented the E-Mining Reporting System, namely the production reporting system in real time and online.

So that it is able to minimize conventional monitoring using fuel.

Other decarbonization efforts are the replacement of ozone damage (BPO) such as the use of environmentally friendly AC referrals and the replacement of Halon 1211 in light fire extinguishers (APAR).

"These programs are implemented and developed continuously in each company line to provide optimal results," he explained.

Meanwhile, in terms of reclamation to restore former mining land, said Apollonius, PTBA until June 2022 had planted 1,333,350 tree trunks in an area of 2,144.26 hectares (ha).

"Various types of trees planted include Sengon, Jati, Mahoni, Kayu Putih, Akasia, Angsana, Merbau, Bambu, Jabon, Pinus, Johar, Longkida. As for this year, PTBA is targeting additional land reclamation of 17.19 ha," he said.

Then in terms of the CCUS study, continued Apollonius, Bukit Asam is holding a decarbonization technology competition that focuses on innovation in the field of carbon reproduction and CCUS in the 2022 Bukit Asam Innovation Award with the theme Greenovator Indonesia.

"We hope that this competition can support the birth of innovations related to decarbonization technology in the mining sector, especially coal, to create environmentally friendly, reliable, sustainable mining and energy," he said.

Apollonius said the operational management of PTBA related to the environment was in accordance with international standards. This is marked by the ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management certification held by the Company.

"Throughout January-June 2022, the emission reduction that has been carried out by PTBA has reached 77,000 tons of CO2e," he said.