Air Products and Chemicals and Indonesian state-owned companies Bukit Asam and Pertamina have broken ground on their US$2.3 billion dimethyl ether-from-coal plant at the Tanjung Enim Industrial Estate in South Sumatra, Indonesia. The south-east Asian country has plentiful coal reserves, but wishes to cut down on imports of liquid fuels, giving the plant a strategic purpose – the government hopes to use the dimethyl ether to replace liquified petroleum gas in kitchens. Thousands of jobs will be created during construction, as well as subsequent operation, and the project is the second largest investment from a US company.