Muara Enim, CNBC Indonesia – Piles of coal at the Air Laya mine, Tanjung Enim, Muara Enim Regency, South Sumatra Province, which is managed by PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA) are clearly visible as far as the eye can see.
The Air Laya platform provided by PTBA is the best spot for viewing mining activities. Moreover, the Air Laya mine is part of the history of the start of coal mining in Tanjung Enim 104 years ago.
From a distance, five green and white trucks were busy going back and forth around the storage area stockpile coal.
The chirping of the prenjak bird also added to the ‘serene’ atmosphere on Wednesday (18/10/2023) afternoon. It is said that the sound of the prenjak bird has a very close connection with the surrounding environment.
Every day, mining operations in the PTBA area continue 24 hours non-stop. Understandably, the majority of Steam Power Plants (PLTU) in Indonesia are very dependent on coal supplies.
The weather that afternoon happened to be quite hot. Singgih, as Assistant Manager of Air Laya Satu PTBA, said that weather is a determining factor in the open-pit mining method. This is because mining activities usually stop when it rains.
“So, here activities that can increase production can be optimized in the dry or dry season,” said Singgih.
Interestingly, PTBA has implemented a digitalization program to monitor mining activities in various locations. This digital transformation is predicted to be part of PTBA’s steps to implement Good Mining Practice.
Since 2020, PTBA has had the CISEA (Corporate Information System and Enterprise Application) application to monitor mining activities globally. real time via cell phone.
PTBA Assistant Manager for Mining Administration and Reporting, Muhammad Ihsan, revealed that the aim of implementing digitalization is to optimize all work processes, as well as efforts to increase coal production.
According to him, implementing real-time digitalization can increase the company’s production by around 10%-20%, compared to the mining process which is carried out manually.
“The target is manual to reduce human error,” he added.
 Photo: (CNBC Indonesia/Verda Nano Setiawan)PTBA mining operations digitalization system, Muara Enim. (CNBC Indonesia/Verda Nano Setiawan) |
Ihsan himself admitted that he had worked at PTBA since 2016. This Padang-blooded man is tasked with monitoring mining operations every day.
Not far from Ihsan’s work area, a jumbo-sized yellow truck was parked outside with technicians around him carrying out maintenance. Who would have thought, the truck with a loading capacity of 130 tons was actually a Hybrid Dump Truck.
PTBA itself is currently recorded as having 40 units of the Hybrid Dump Truck type (Belaz-75135). The use of a Hybrid Dump Truck is said to have an efficiency of up to 50% compared to the use of mining vehicles based on oil-fueled engines (BBM).
Apart from the Belaz-75135, currently PTBA also operates 7 Electric Shovel units (PC3000-6E) and 6 electric mining pumps.
Based on company records, the use of electricity-based mining equipment results in diesel fuel savings of up to 7 million liters per year and reduces emissions by 19,777 tCO2e.
“We have never had a conventional unit, we went straight to this. Only if we compare it with the old unit, this is much more economical even though it has a large capacity,” said Zulfahmi, Assistant Manager of PTBA Main Mining Equipment Electrification.
Not only that, the PTBA coal mine also has a big economic impact on residents around the mine. Read on the next page..