RI'S FIRST-SEMESTER COAL OUTPUT REACHES 72 MILLION TONS

Jakarta, July 21 (ANTARA) - Indonesia's coal output in the first half of 2009 stood at 72 million tons, accounting for 31.3 percent of the target of 230 million tons for the year, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said.

The coal production consisted of 62 million tons from contract-of-work (PKP2B) operators and 10 million tons from coal mining concession (KP) holders, the ministry's director general of mineral, coal and geothermal energy affairs, Bambang Setiawan, said here on Tuesday.

PKP2B operators are coal mining companies licensed by the energy and mineral resources minister while KP holders are those licensed by district heads. The former have wider mining concessions and higher coal outputs than the latter.

In the 2009 state budget the government has set the coal production target at 230 million tons.

Bambang said the coal sales in the first half of 2009 reached 75 million tons consisting of exports totaling 52 million tons and domestic sales totaling 23 million tons.

He said gold production in the first semester of 2009 reached 47.87 tons, representing 45.5 percent of the year's target of 105.4 tons.

Nickel ore production stood at 1 million tons or 9.3 percent of the target of 10.847 million tons, and matte production reached 25 thousand tons or 39.4 percent of the target of 63.547 thousand tons.

Copper production reached 433 thousand tons or 49.9 percent of the target of 868.17 thousand tons.

Silver production stood at 132 thousand tons, tin 13 thousand tons, and bauxite 1 million tons. ***2***