| The province of South Sumatera is endowed with great riches. With an area of 87,240 square kilometers and a population of about 7.8 million, South Sumatera possesses great potential in natural commodities such as palm oil and rubber, as well as energy resources such as oil and gas, geothermal energy, and coal. In particular, coal is currently in great demand world wide, mainly for use in electricity generation. In 2009, Indonesia produced 258 million tons of coal, of which only 13.3 million tons were produced in the province of South Sumatera. While the bulk of Indonesia's coal production currently comes from the coal producing regions on the island of Kalimantan, Sumatera actually possesses greater coal potential resources. The latest estimation indicate that Sumatera accounts for circa 52% of the total known coal resources in Indonesia, estimated at 52 billion tons. Great coal deposits are located in Muara Enim, Lahat, Musi Banyuasin, and Musi Rawas regencies. Coal exploration activities in these regions have identified a potential coal resource of 47 billion tons, of which 1 billion tons are proven reserves. There is no doubt about the great coal potential that lies yet untapped. This low production level is mostly due to lack of adequate infrastructure with which to transport coal from the coal mines. At present, coal is transported using train and along the public road network, both of which have very limited capacities. Hauling coal through public roads also led to frequent traffic jams as well as heavy damage to the roads, necessitating an almost continual and extensive road maintenance work. Clearly, a better solution is needed to provide for the safe, efficient and economic transportation of coal, while also capable of handling vastly greater amount of coal traffic. |
Provinsi Sumatera Selatan dikaruniai kekayaan alam yang berlimpah. Dengan luas 87.240 km2 dan populasi 7,8 juta jiwa, Sumatera Selatan memiliki potensi melimpah komoditas alam seperti kelapa sawit dan karet, serta sumber daya energi seperti migas, energi panas bumi, dan batu bara. Dewasa ini permintaan dunia pada batu bara begitu tinggi terutama untuk pembangkit tenaga listrik. Pada tahun 2009, Indonesia menghasilkan 258 juta ton batu bara dimana hanya 13,3 juta ton dihasilkan di provinsi Sumatera Selatan. Saat ini sebagian besar produksi batu bara Indonesia berasal dari pulau Kalimantan, namun sesungguhnya pulau Sumatera memiliki potensi sumber daya batu bara yang jauh lebih besar. Dari perkiraan terkini, Sumatera saja memiliki sekitar 52% dari total sumber daya batu bara di Indonesia, yaitu sekitar 52 miliar ton. di kabupaten Muara Enim, Lahat, Musi Banyuasin, dan Musi Rawas. Eksplorasi batu bara di wilayah ini berhasil mengidentifikasikan potensi sumber daya batu bara sekitar 47 miliar ton, dimana 1 miliar ton di antaranya cadangan yang terbukti. Tidak diragukan lagi bahwa potensi batu bara yang belum dimanfaatkan masih sangat besar. Rendahnya produktivitas ini disebabkan oleh minimnya infrastruktur yang menunjang pengangkutan hasil penambangan batu bara. Saat ini hanya tersedia sarana pengangkutan batu bara melalui kereta api dan jalan umum yang kapasitasnya sangat terbatas. Selain itu, pengangkutan batu bara melalui jalan umum mengakibatkan kemacetan lalu lintas dan kerusakan jalan, sehingga dibutuhkan pemeliharaan dan perbaikan yang terus menerus. Untuk itu, dibutuhkan solusi yang lebih baik untuk pengangkutan batu bara yang aman, efisien dan ekonomis, serta mampu menangani kapasitas lalu lintas batu bara yang jauh lebih besar. |
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