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→Project regains momentum: add note re BHP presentation
In a briefing for analysts the company listed the project as one of its major options for expanding metallurgical coal production. The company boldly proclaimed that the "basin has potential to support large scale metallurgical and thermal coal production."<ref name=Hubie>Hubie van Dalsen, President Metallurgical Coal and Phil Hynes, Vice President Project Development Metallurgical Coal, [http://www.bhpbilliton.com/home/investors/reports/Documents/2011/110930%20Steelmaking%20materials%20briefing_COMBINED.pdf "Metallurgical coal briefing"], BHP Billiton website, September 30, 2011. (See pages 26, 27, 30 and 39). See also Phil Hynes, Vice President Project Development Metallurgical Coal, [http://www.bhpbilliton.com/home/investors/reports/Documents/2011/110930%20Steelmaking%20materials%20briefing_COMBINED.pdf "Metallurgical coal briefing"], BHP Billiton website, September 30, 2011, pages 50, 52, 53.</ref></blockquote>
Company executives flagged that the initial development would be in the Lahai Contract of Work area (the site of the Haju coal project), which would commence production at approximately 500,000 tonnes a year of raw coal and would "provide initial operating platform and development of transport infrastructure."<ref name=Hubie/> This, it stated, would facilitate the "larger development at Maruwai and Juloi" contract of work areas. The company executives stated that infrastructure options included barging the coal down the Barito River or the establishment of a railway.<ref name=Hubie/>
A map included in the September 2011 presentation - see right -- illustrated the dispersed nature of the deposits.
At the same time the ''Wall Street Journal'' reported that the $US1.34 billion project would produce 500,000 tonnes in 2016 and five million tonnes in 2017 with potential for further expansion to 10 million tonnes a year. "PT Lahai will construct a road and a mine (Haju) and related infrastructure, commencing, subject to approvals, in the fourth quarter of 2011," a BHP spokeswoman wrote in an email to WSJ reporters. The spokeperson stated in the email that this would be followed by investments in mines and infrastructure by PT Maruwai and PT Juloi, two other joint venture companies.<ref>David Fickling and David Winning, [http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203716204577015053729515874 "BHP Billiton to Begin Work on Indonesia Coal Project"], ''Wall Street Journal'', November 3, 2011.</ref>
The stories in ''The Australian'' and the ''Wall Street Journal'' appear to have been prompted by a November 2 presentation by BHP Billiton CEO, Andrew Mackenzie, Group Executive and Chief Executive Non-Ferrous. The presentation stated referred to the "our IndoMet Coal project provides us with another high quality option."<ref>Andrew Mackenzie, Group Executive and Chief Executive Non-Ferrous, [http://www.bhpbilliton.com/home/investors/reports/Documents/2011/111102%20Deutsche%20Bank%20BRICS%20MetalsMining%20Conference.pdf "Deutsche Bank BRICS Metals & Mining Conference", Presentation to the Deutsche Bank BRICS Metals & Mining Conference, London, November 2, 2011, page 12.</ref>
In its 2012 annual report the company stated that "study work is underway to identify development options across our CCoWs and early work on infrastructure development has commenced."<ref name="AR12">BHP Billiton, [http://www.bhpbilliton.com/home/investors/reports/Documents/2012/BHPBillitonAnnualReport2012.pdf 2012 BHP Billiton Annual Report], BHP Billiton, September 2012, page 37.</ref> However, the company did not mention the project in its September 2012 exploration and development report<ref>BHP Billiton, [http://www.bhpbilliton.com/home/investors/reports/Documents/2012/121017_%20BHP%20Billiton%20Exploration%20and%20Development%20Report%20for%20the%20Quarter%20Ended%2030%20September%202012.pdf "BHP Billiton Exploration and Development Report for the quarter ended 30 September 20"], Media Release, October 17 2012.</ref> or its December 2012 quarter exploration and development report.<ref>BHP Billiton, [http://www.bhpbilliton.com/home/investors/reports/Documents/2013/130123_BHP%20Billiton%20Exploration%20and%20Development%20Report%20for%20the%20Quarter%20Ended%2031%20December%202012.pdf "BHP Billiton Exploration and Development Report for the quarter ended 31 December 2012"], Media Release, January 23, 2013.</ref>
