Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) considers the 35,000 megawatt (MW) electricity project the key to Indonesia's mining and coal sector's development at a time when the country is facing difficult conditions.
"The 35,000 MW power project is the key to the development of mining and coal industries amidst the current difficult conditions," Bambang Gatot Ariyono, the director general of the mineral and coal affairs of the ESDM ministry, said here on Wednesday.
As part of the 35,000 MW power production project, Bambang said, mineral and coal were the backbones of the country's sources of domestic energy.
"This means that coal is the key to electricity production because the generators used to produce power also need coal to run," he said.
In order to meet the national electricity needs, he said, even the 35,000 MW power project is not adequate and Indonesia actually needs an additional 115,000 MW of power. "The government has set itself a target to produce 35,000 MW of power by 2025," he said.
Besides, Bambang said his side will periodically discuss plans to revise the law on mineral and coal in an effort to manage the coal mining sector in Indonesia.
"We will draft an amendment to the law by working with all relevant ministries, such as the ministries of industry, trade, finance and others. Besides aiming at improving governance, the revision will also be aimed at removing the inadequacies in the regulation," he said. (WDY)
