"Bintuni is believed to keep the largest coal deposit in Indonesia," former head of Bintuni`s Energy and Mineral Resources Service, Markus Sraun said when contacted from here on Wednesday.
He said that the large coal deposit was revealed when the local government in cooperation with experts from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) conducted a survey in 2007.
"They found coal reserves in large scales in a number of areas in the district," he said.
Coal deposit was also found in Bintuni`s neighboring district of Maibra. Experts have conducted laboratory analysis and found that the coal reserves in those areas were the biggest in Indonesia.
The results of the experts studies had been exposed in front of a number of officials of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. experts of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), domestic and foreign investors in Jakarta.
He said that there had been investors who had expressed interest in making their investment on the coal potential in the Bintuni Bay.
In the meantime, a Russian investor has planned to develop coal in Mamuju Utara regency, West Sulawesi, to produce electricity.
West Sulawesi Governor Anwar Adnan Saleh said when on a visit to Mamuju Utara regency on Monday said that a Russian investor has expressed its wish to develop the coal mine in the regency.
He said the Russian investor had made a commitment with the West Sulawesi provincial administration.
"On July 25 the Russian investor will hold a meeting with the West Sulawesi administration to discuss the project," he said.
He also said the Russian investor planned to build a coal-fired power plant.
He said the power plant will have a capacity of 150 megawatts.(*)
HAJM/A014
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
