Samarinda (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), on Thursday (February 29), is scheduled to visit Bontang City, East Kalimantan, to officiate an explosives factory, with a production capacity of around 75 thousand tons of explosives annually.

"President Jokowi will arrive in Bontang at 9:36 a.m. aboard a helicopter after inaugurating a bus terminal in Samarinda. The president will head straight to the factory," commander of the local military district Lieutenant Colonel Bagus Daryanto stated in Bontang on Monday (February 26).

He explained that the explosives factory was built by PT Kaltim Ammonium Nitrate (KAN) as a modern and eco-friendly manufacturing facility that is expected to support mining activities in East Kalimantan Province.

Upon his arrival in Bontang, President Jokowi will be welcomed by officials from the Bontang municipal government, representatives from PT KAN, as well as officers of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and National Police (Polri), Daryanto stated.

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After inaugurating the factory, he remarked that the head of state will initially have lunch at a local restaurant before flying to North Penajam Paser District, whose parts are being used as the development site of the new capital city Nusantara.

The commander further highlighted that the TNI and Polri had taken various measures for ensuring security during Jokowi's visit, including sterilizing soon-to-be-visited areas and perfecting the escort mechanism.

PT KAN was founded in 2003 under the collaboration between state-owned fertilizer company PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur and state-owned explosives manufacturer PT Dahana.

PT KAN's explosives factory in Bontang is expected to help Indonesia make the most of its resources of ammonium nitrate in various sectors to reduce the volume of imports and achieve energy self-sufficiency.

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Translator: Ahmad R, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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