In an effort to support the government's 2060 Net Zero Emission (NZE) target, PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA) continues to develop its decarbonization strategy.
PTBA's President Director, Arsal Ismail, emphasized that the company has prepared various concrete steps to contribute to carbon emission reduction, including optimizing coal reserves and electrifying heavy equipment.
Currently, PTBA has 3 billion tons of coal reserves with an annual production of around 40 million tons. To anticipate the energy transition, PTBA plans to increase production to 100 million metric tons in the next three to four years.
"The goal is that before moving towards net zero emission, PTBA’s coal resources will have been fully optimized before 2050," said Arsal during the Fortune Indonesia Summit 2025 at the Westin Jakarta, Thursday (February 6).
In line with the energy transition, PTBA has started replacing fossil fuel-powered heavy equipment with electric-powered equipment.
"We have begun electrifying mining equipment that previously used diesel fuel. This initiative is already underway and will continue to be developed to reduce carbon emissions," he added.
Post-Mine Site Reclamation
In addition to decarbonization, PTBA also focuses on post-mining site reclamation. The company replants former mining areas with its own plant seedlings to restore ecosystems and absorb carbon.
"We want to ensure that former mining sites can return to their original state, or at least closely resemble the original condition," said Arsal.
PTBA is also innovating through coal downstreaming to increase added value. The coal owned by the company will be developed into derivative products such as gasification, which can be converted into artificial graphite, an essential component in the electric vehicle (EV) battery ecosystem.
"This downstreaming is part of our efforts to support emission-free energy," he added.
On the other hand, PTBA continues to optimize its Supercritical Steam Power Plants (PLTU), which have the ability to reduce carbon emissions compared to conventional technology. This way, PTBA can continue to contribute to the national energy supply with a minimal environmental impact.
Through these various steps, PTBA is optimistic that it can become part of the solution in achieving the NZE 2060 target.
"We continue to pursue decarbonization, downstreaming, and reclamation simultaneously so that PTBA can make a significant contribution to reducing carbon emissions in Indonesia," said Arsal.
