Project Description

The focus of this research is the population affected by the operations of Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC), originally a joint venture between Rio Tinto and British Petroleum, now owned by Indonesian interests, but partly operated under management contracts with Australian companies. The mine is located in the East Kalimantan Province of Indonesia in an equatorial region of high biological diversity. Coal production in this fragile setting currently exceeds 36 million tonnes of coal each year.

The original mining concession, covering an area of 90,000 hectares, was granted in 1992, and the present lease is due to expire in 2021. The local population affected by the mining operation consists of three village clusters in the Sangatta and Bengalon districts of Kabupaten Kutai Timur, with a combined population of more than 40,000 people, including a mixture of indigenous (Kutai) people and other ethnic groups.