(EnergyAsia, February 3 2012, Friday) --- US coal miner and trader Peabody Energy said it has appointed Yosef Setiyawan, its Indonesian director of engineering, as head of its new office in the city port of Balikpapan in East Kalimantan province.

Reporting to Keith Downham, vice president of resource development for Indonesia, he will have responsibility for supporting business development and structured transactions.

The company said: “Mr Setiyawan brings extensive experience in mining engineering, technical services and business development from his tenure at BHP Billiton in Australia and Indonesia.”

In expanding its presence in the world’s largest supplier of seaborne thermal coal, Peabody said the new office complements ongoing sourcing and business development activities in Indonesia and supports an office in the capital city of Jakarta.

With Indonesia increasing its supply of thermal coal to China and India, Peabody is positioning itself to assist local suppliers and improve the trade and movement of the fuel in the Pacific Rim.

The St Louis-based NYSE-listed company said it has secured multiple term off-take agreements from resource-rich East Kalimantan for delivery to its customers in the region.

Peabody Energy is the world’s largest private-sector coal company and a global leader in clean coal solutions. With 2010 sales of 246 million tons and nearly US$7 billion in revenues, Peabody fuels 10% of US power and 2% of worldwide electricity.