By Romel S. Gurky
Australia-listed metallurgical coal producer Cokal Limited is progressing towards the development of the underground portion of its Bumi Barito Mineral (BBM) coal project in Central Kalimantan, according to a company presentation filed last week.
The miner said updated project metrics for the planned underground operations have been completed and submitted to Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) for evaluation and approval. Cokal has also secured a forestry utilization recommendation from the Governor of Central Kalimantan for the proposed underground mining area and related infrastructure, which has been forwarded to the ministry as part of the permitting process.
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In parallel, BBM is conducting a study to update its Environmental Impact Analysis (AMDAL), a prerequisite for commencing underground mining activities. Development of the underground mining infrastructure is targeted to begin in the third quarter of 2026.
Cokal is currently producing coal from the open pit portion of the BBM mine, though output has been scaled back in response to unfavorable market conditions.
Editing by Alexander Ginting
