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Monday, 06 October 14
' COAL-BY-WIRE' FROM SUMATRA TO JAVA - THE JAKARTA POST
 Coal from the island of Sumatra accounts for most of Indonesia’s low-grade lignite, a low-quality coal that receives a poor price in international markets.
Given this low pricing combined with high transportation costs and the fact that most reserves are located in landlocked areas, it is not feasible to export Sumatra’s coal out of the island.
It is more efficient to use Sumatra’s coal for a mine-mouth power plant, an approach in which we develop a power plant very close to where mines are located, use the low-calorie coal from the mines to feed the plant, and transmit the electricity, rather than transporting a low-value commodity, out of the mines.
With mine-mouth, we no longer require either barges or expensive railway-heavy infrastructure to transport coal; rather we need to have long-distance high-voltage transmission lines to bring “coal-by-wire” from mines to consumer centers, either regions in Sumatra and/or Java-Bali.
Essentially, with “coal-by-wire” we are transporting a higher-value commodity by wire from mines to customers. Coal stays in the landlocked areas and feeds mine-mouth, coal-fired power plants.
“Coal-by-wire” would definitely boost the development of a domestic market for low-grade coal. Today, our market for coal is very thin as we are one of the world’s leading exporters of thermal coal of a high quality in the international market.
Our exports have increased very significantly within the past decade on account of demand from fast-growing Asian economies. More than 80 percent of our coal currently produced is exported.
Indeed, coal is currently the most important source of energy for our economy. For decades coal has accounted for more than half of our power-generation capacity. And this will continue for a half century to come before alternative and cleaner energy sources other than coal become affordably available.
Our economy is also growing, and of course will require more electricity power and therefore coal – challenges that have to be met. Electricity generation now consumes close to 75 million tons per year, and will almost triple in the next 10 to 15 years.
However, domestic use of coal today notoriously suffers from infrastructure bottlenecks. Congested barges and ports, as well as a shortage of railways limit the transportation of coal from coalmines in two coal-producing regions, Kalimantan and Sumatra, to demand centers in Java-Bali, where most of our power plants are located.
The majority of our coal reserves in the two regions are located in landlocked areas that require rail transportation infrastructure to reach ports for export.
Either truck haul or rail is needed to transport the coal to barge ports and terminals.
Truck operating costs are about twice that of rail, but existing rail transportation infrastructure is severely insufficient.
Indonesia’s attempts to improve coal-transport infrastructure for the domestic market have not been very successful. Dedicated coal ports in Kalimantan have been planned for many years, but implementation has again faced bottleneck issues.
Specialized railways for coal in Sumatra have also been initiated, but this concept is still under development and has not yet received a higher-level mandate or legal authorization.
Delays in expanding the capacity of barge and transportation infrastructure cause inefficiencies and high transportation costs in domestic coal utilization. These high costs and infrastructure bottlenecks have held back the development of the domestic market for coal.
Our high-voltage transmission lines are also astonishingly limited. The state-owned electricity company (PLN) operates approximately 40,000 kilometers of transmission lines, with less than 15 percent of this total serving the island of Sumatra.
If we can build more mine-mouth, coal-fired power generation plants we will need to expand our transmission network across the island, interconnected to other transmission systems in Java-Bali.
A new set of lines of a high-voltage of 500 kilovolts and medium-voltage of 275 kV needs to be developed as a backbone network across the island, i.e. providing long-distance, reliable and stable transmission.
The distribution system and transformer capacity also need to be expanded to service a larger coverage of costumers and demand centers.
We are required also to develop an interconnected transmission system, as existing electricity transmission is not compatible across regions due to different systems and manufacturer standards adopted in the past.
The current initiative of developing inter-island interconnection lines between Java and Sumatra with 500kV High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) lines needs to be completed in harmony with the mine-mouth development.
These long-distance transmission and distribution lines, as well as interconnected systems are required to exist before a system of mine-mouth power plants is commissioned to ensure that electricity produced can be transmitted in a timely manner and with minimum cost.
Both the central and local governments must work hand-in-hand to endorse incentives to encourage the private sector — independent power producers (IPPs) — to develop mine-mouth power plants.
Incentives need to be designed to enhance the financial viability of IPPs’ mine-mouth power plant projects.
PLN as an off-taker of IPP plays a fundamental role as the “coal-by-wire” agent, and has to be ready to absorb all of the risks associated with the development and operation of the system, including the difficulties in land acquisition and intra-regional compatibility of transmission systems.
Sumatra with its huge resources of low-grade coal can secure its own electricity supply and, eventually, can be the source of low-cost electricity with its energy radiating not only to Java, but also to every corner of the country.
Source: The Jakarta Post
The writer is deputy for energy and mineral resources at the office of Coordinating Economic Minister.
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Tuesday, 11 November 14
PORT OF NEWCASTLE'S OCTOBER COAL SHIPMENTS SLIPPED 7.40% M-O-M
COALspot.com: The Port of Newcastle, Australia’s major trading ports and the world’s largest coal export port, has shipped $1,115.7 mil ...
Monday, 10 November 14
Q4' 15 FOB INDONESIA COAL SWAP CLOSED LOWER THAN Q1' 15 CLOSING PRICE OF US$ 49.58 ON LAST FRIDAY
COALspot.com: Indonesian coal swaps for delivery Q1' 2015 lost month on month, week on week and day on day.
The Q1 swap has lost just US$ ...
Monday, 10 November 14
SGX'S API 4 FOB RICHARDS BAY COAL SWAP FOR Q1' 2015 DELIVERY CLOSED AT US$ 65.44 ON 7 NOV, LOST 4.08% M-O-M
COALspot.com: API 4 FOB Richards Bay Coal swap for Q1’ 2015 delivery has decreased US$ 2.78 (-4.08%) month over month and US$ 1.41 (-2.11%) w ...
Monday, 10 November 14
MOZAMBIQUE SIGNED CONTRACT WITH ETA STAR OF UAE FOR OPEN CAST COAL MINE IN TETE - AIM
- ETA Star to build slurry pipeline over the 600 kilometers to Beira in Mozambique to transport coal.
- The viability studies show the presence o ...
Monday, 10 November 14
YEAR 2015 CFR SOUTH CHINA COAL SWAP SHOWS A WEAK TREND THIS PAST WEEK
COALspot.com: API 8 CFR South China Coal swap for Q1’ 2015 delivery has decreased US$ 3.74 (-5.63%) month over month and US$ 2.19 (+3.37%) we ...
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- Miang Besar Coal Terminal - Indonesia
- Eastern Energy - Thailand
- Pendopo Energi Batubara - Indonesia
- The State Trading Corporation of India Ltd
- Sakthi Sugars Limited - India
- Truba Alam Manunggal Engineering.Tbk - Indonesia
- Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission - India
- London Commodity Brokers - England
- Bangladesh Power Developement Board
- Eastern Coal Council - USA
- Manunggal Multi Energi - Indonesia
- Jaiprakash Power Ventures ltd
- Binh Thuan Hamico - Vietnam
- Merrill Lynch Commodities Europe
- Ceylon Electricity Board - Sri Lanka
- MS Steel International - UAE
- Malabar Cements Ltd - India
- Bhoruka Overseas - Indonesia
- Siam City Cement PLC, Thailand
- Kalimantan Lumbung Energi - Indonesia
- Intertek Mineral Services - Indonesia
- Straits Asia Resources Limited - Singapore
- White Energy Company Limited
- Tata Chemicals Ltd - India
- Banpu Public Company Limited - Thailand
- ICICI Bank Limited - India
- Standard Chartered Bank - UAE
- Power Finance Corporation Ltd., India
- Rio Tinto Coal - Australia
- VISA Power Limited - India
- Wilmar Investment Holdings
- Videocon Industries ltd - India
- South Luzon Thermal Energy Corporation
- Savvy Resources Ltd - HongKong
- Offshore Bulk Terminal Pte Ltd, Singapore
- Mintek Dendrill Indonesia
- Anglo American - United Kingdom
- Siam City Cement - Thailand
- Ministry of Transport, Egypt
- Ministry of Finance - Indonesia
- Vizag Seaport Private Limited - India
- Indonesian Coal Mining Association
- Simpson Spence & Young - Indonesia
- Directorate General of MIneral and Coal - Indonesia
- McConnell Dowell - Australia
- Tamil Nadu electricity Board
- Price Waterhouse Coopers - Russia
- Bhushan Steel Limited - India
- LBH Netherlands Bv - Netherlands
- Kohat Cement Company Ltd. - Pakistan
- Africa Commodities Group - South Africa
- Thai Mozambique Logistica
- Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
- Maheswari Brothers Coal Limited - India
- Asmin Koalindo Tuhup - Indonesia
- Ministry of Mines - Canada
- Aboitiz Power Corporation - Philippines
- Port Waratah Coal Services - Australia
- Wood Mackenzie - Singapore
- Coastal Gujarat Power Limited - India
- Heidelberg Cement - Germany
- Electricity Authority, New Zealand
- Renaissance Capital - South Africa
- ASAPP Information Group - India
- Jorong Barutama Greston.PT - Indonesia
- The University of Queensland
- Therma Luzon, Inc, Philippines
- Latin American Coal - Colombia
- Directorate Of Revenue Intelligence - India
- Kaltim Prima Coal - Indonesia
- Semirara Mining Corp, Philippines
- Cement Manufacturers Association - India
- SN Aboitiz Power Inc, Philippines
- Minerals Council of Australia
- Oldendorff Carriers - Singapore
- Coal and Oil Company - UAE
- Commonwealth Bank - Australia
- Central Electricity Authority - India
- Georgia Ports Authority, United States
- Bukit Baiduri Energy - Indonesia
- Grasim Industreis Ltd - India
- Bukit Asam (Persero) Tbk - Indonesia
- Mercator Lines Limited - India
- Gujarat Mineral Development Corp Ltd - India
- Independent Power Producers Association of India
- TeaM Sual Corporation - Philippines
- Trasteel International SA, Italy
- Australian Coal Association
- PetroVietnam Power Coal Import and Supply Company
- Holcim Trading Pte Ltd - Singapore
- AsiaOL BioFuels Corp., Philippines
- Indika Energy - Indonesia
- European Bulk Services B.V. - Netherlands
- GAC Shipping (India) Pvt Ltd
- Filglen & Citicon Mining (HK) Ltd - Hong Kong
- Marubeni Corporation - India
- Kapuas Tunggal Persada - Indonesia
- Jindal Steel & Power Ltd - India
- Energy Development Corp, Philippines
- Bhatia International Limited - India
- Central Java Power - Indonesia
- Ambuja Cements Ltd - India
- Baramulti Group, Indonesia
- PTC India Limited - India
- Parry Sugars Refinery, India
- Mercuria Energy - Indonesia
- Meenaskhi Energy Private Limited - India
- Alfred C Toepfer International GmbH - Germany
- Singapore Mercantile Exchange
- CIMB Investment Bank - Malaysia
- Orica Australia Pty. Ltd.
- Lanco Infratech Ltd - India
- IHS Mccloskey Coal Group - USA
- Borneo Indobara - Indonesia
- Medco Energi Mining Internasional
- Carbofer General Trading SA - India
- Planning Commission, India
- Antam Resourcindo - Indonesia
- Billiton Holdings Pty Ltd - Australia
- Goldman Sachs - Singapore
- Xindia Steels Limited - India
- Altura Mining Limited, Indonesia
- SMG Consultants - Indonesia
- Star Paper Mills Limited - India
- Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited - India
- India Bulls Power Limited - India
- GMR Energy Limited - India
- Kepco SPC Power Corporation, Philippines
- Uttam Galva Steels Limited - India
- Pipit Mutiara Jaya. PT, Indonesia
- Karbindo Abesyapradhi - Indoneisa
- Energy Link Ltd, New Zealand
- Petron Corporation, Philippines
- Iligan Light & Power Inc, Philippines
- GVK Power & Infra Limited - India
- Vedanta Resources Plc - India
- Sindya Power Generating Company Private Ltd
- Petrochimia International Co. Ltd.- Taiwan
- Indo Tambangraya Megah - Indonesia
- Kobexindo Tractors - Indoneisa
- Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd - Australia
- Kideco Jaya Agung - Indonesia
- Global Coal Blending Company Limited - Australia
- Sical Logistics Limited - India
- Cigading International Bulk Terminal - Indonesia
- Coalindo Energy - Indonesia
- New Zealand Coal & Carbon
- Riau Bara Harum - Indonesia
- Australian Commodity Traders Exchange
- Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd
- Economic Council, Georgia
- Bharathi Cement Corporation - India
- Agrawal Coal Company - India
- Posco Energy - South Korea
- Barasentosa Lestari - Indonesia
- The Treasury - Australian Government
- Deloitte Consulting - India
- Parliament of New Zealand
- Attock Cement Pakistan Limited
- Indian Oil Corporation Limited
- Bulk Trading Sa - Switzerland
- Indian Energy Exchange, India
- Kumho Petrochemical, South Korea
- Timah Investasi Mineral - Indoneisa
- Sojitz Corporation - Japan
- Orica Mining Services - Indonesia
- TNB Fuel Sdn Bhd - Malaysia
- PNOC Exploration Corporation - Philippines
- Global Green Power PLC Corporation, Philippines
- GN Power Mariveles Coal Plant, Philippines
- Salva Resources Pvt Ltd - India
- Gujarat Sidhee Cement - India
- Ind-Barath Power Infra Limited - India
- Formosa Plastics Group - Taiwan
- Vijayanagar Sugar Pvt Ltd - India
- Metalloyd Limited - United Kingdom
- Chamber of Mines of South Africa
- Semirara Mining and Power Corporation, Philippines
- Sarangani Energy Corporation, Philippines
- PowerSource Philippines DevCo
- Kartika Selabumi Mining - Indonesia
- Romanian Commodities Exchange
- Chettinad Cement Corporation Ltd - India
- Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd, - India
- Essar Steel Hazira Ltd - India
- Sree Jayajothi Cements Limited - India
- Madhucon Powers Ltd - India
- Globalindo Alam Lestari - Indonesia
- Edison Trading Spa - Italy
- Dong Bac Coal Mineral Investment Coporation - Vietnam
- Sinarmas Energy and Mining - Indonesia
- Global Business Power Corporation, Philippines
- International Coal Ventures Pvt Ltd - India
- OPG Power Generation Pvt Ltd - India
- Interocean Group of Companies - India
- Aditya Birla Group - India
- Indogreen Group - Indonesia
- Mjunction Services Limited - India
- Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Japan
- Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission - India
- Bukit Makmur.PT - Indonesia
- Larsen & Toubro Limited - India
- Krishnapatnam Port Company Ltd. - India
- SMC Global Power, Philippines
- Asia Pacific Energy Resources Ventures Inc, Philippines
- Karaikal Port Pvt Ltd - India
- CNBM International Corporation - China
- Thiess Contractors Indonesia
- IEA Clean Coal Centre - UK
- Dr Ramakrishna Prasad Power Pvt Ltd - India
- San Jose City I Power Corp, Philippines
- Samtan Co., Ltd - South Korea
- Meralco Power Generation, Philippines
- Makarim & Taira - Indonesia
- Bayan Resources Tbk. - Indonesia
- Dalmia Cement Bharat India
- Bahari Cakrawala Sebuku - Indonesia
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