Indonesia's Coal Production Volume Relatively Low So Far in 2018
In the first three quarters of 2018, Indonesia's total national coal production reached 319.08 million tons, or nearly 63 percent of the government's full-year 2018 target (set at 506.9 million tons), according to the latest data from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.
However, Agung Pribadi - Head of the Energy Ministry's Communication, Public Information Service and Cooperation Bureau - informed that a data reconciliation process at the ministry is the reason why coal output has been low so far in 2018.
The coal production figure of 319.08 million in the January-September 2018 period does not include all production data from IUP-holders (Izin Usaha Pertambangan or Mining Business License). Thus, once included, it might be that Indonesia's coal production has actually grown compared to 2017. After all, coal prices have made it attractive for coal miners to encourage production activities and sales. Over the past couple of months the government's benchmark coal price remained above the USD $100 per ton level.
Pribadi said the latest coal production figure involves output by those coal miners that are active under the longstanding Contracts of Work (Perjanjian Karya Pengusahaan Pertambangan Batubara, or PKP2B). Meanwhile, data from IUP-holders only run up to the end of June 2018. Thus, the 319.08 million coal production figure in the first three quarters of the year still misses the Q3 data from IUP-holders.
Recently, the Indonesian government raised its coal production target for full-year 2018 from 485 million tons to 506.9 million tons.
Hendra Sinadia, Deputy Executive Director of the Indonesian Coal Mining Association (APBI), added that the nation's coal production is set to grow strongly in the second half of the year. Besides the data reconciliation process, weather also caused some disturbances in coal production in the first half of the year.
Indonesian Government's Benchmark Thermal Coal Price (HBA):
| Month | 2017 | 2018 |
| January | 86.23↓ | 95.54↑ |
| February | 83.32↓ | 100.69↑ |
| March | 81.90↓ | 101.86↑ |
| April | 82.51↑ | 94.75↓ |
| May | 83.81↑ | 89.53↓ |
| June | 75.46↓ | 96.61↑ |
| July | 78.95↑ | 104.65↑ |
| August | 83.97↑ | 107.83↑ |
| September | 92.03↑ | 104.81↓ |
| October | 93.99↑ | 100.89↓ |
| November | 94.84↑ | |
| December | 94.04↓ | |
| Average | 85.9↑ |
| Month | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
2016 |
| January | 109.29 | 87.55 | 81.90 | 63.84 | 53.20 |
| February | 111.58 | 88.35 | 80.44 | 62.92 | 50.92 |
| March | 112.87 | 90.09 | 77.01 | 67.76 | 51.62 |
| April | 105.61 | 88.56 | 74.81 | 64.48 | 52.32 |
| May | 102.12 | 85.33 | 73.60 | 61.08 | 51.20 |
| June | 96.65 | 84.87 | 73.64 | 59.59 | 51.87 |
| July | 87.56 | 81.69 | 72.45 | 59.16 | 53.00 |
| August | 84.65 | 76.70 | 70.29 | 59.14 | 58.37 |
| September | 86.21 | 76.89 | 69.69 | 58.21 | 63.93 |
| October | 86.04 | 76.61 | 67.26 | 57.39 | 69.07 |
| November | 81.44 | 78.13 | 65.70 | 54.43 | 84.89 |
| December | 81.75 | 80.31 | 69.23 | 53.51 | 101.69 |
| Average | 95.5 | 82.9 | 72.6 | 60.1 | 61.8 |
in USD/ton
Source: Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources
Indonesian Production, Export, Consumption & Price of Coal:
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
| Production (in million ton) |
458 | 461 | 456 | 461 | 507¹ |
| Export (in million ton) |
382 | 375 | 366 | 364 | 361¹ |
| Domestic (in million ton) |
76 | 86 | 90 | 97 | 146¹ |
| Price (HBA) (in USD/ton) |
72.6 | 60.1 | 61.8 | 85.9 | - |
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |
| Production (in million ton) |
240 | 254 | 275 | 353 | 412 | 474 |
| Export (in million ton) |
191 | 198 | 210 | 287 | 345 | 402 |
| Domestic (in million ton) |
49 | 56 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 72 |
| Price (HBA) (in USD/ton) |
n.a | 70.7 | 91.7 | 118.4 | 95.5 | 82.9 |
¹ government target
Sources: Indonesian Coal Mining Association (APBI) & Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources