President Joko Widodo revealed that there is a possibility of reopening coal exports in the near future, because supply in the country is already in a good position. This was revealed by Jokowi in a special interview with Bisnis at the Bogor Palace, Thursday (6/1/2022). The ban on coal exports has lasted for at least a week, marked by mixed responses from various circles. According to Jokowi, the public and business actors must understand that natural wealth belongs to the state. The concession from natural resources (SDA) is then given to the company, with a note that it can be revoked at any time with various considerations.
This underlies the government's policy to impose a temporary ban on coal exports due to a shortage in domestic supply, which can result in power outages to a number of areas. However, Jokowi revealed that there is a possibility of re-imposing exports in the near future. "It's good news that after the export halt, supply is in a good position. Maybe exports will reopen soon," Jokowi said to Bisnis, Thursday (6/1/2022). He stressed that similar incidents should not happen again. Exports are important for the economy, but the security of domestic energy supply still needs to be a priority. "This kind of situation should not happen again because we also need foreign exchange from exports," said Jokowi. He explained that Indonesia's condition is different from other countries which may experience limited resources, our country actually has an abundance of coal. However, he himself questioned how the management of control from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (ESDM) and PT the State Electricity Company (Persero) resulted in a shortage of coal supply. "Or maybe there are difficulties in enforcing the company to discipline the domestic market obligation (DMO). We should have understood everything six months ago [there is a risk of a shortage of coal supply]," said Jokowi.
The government implemented a coal export ban from January 1 to January 31, 2022. This prohibition is a government step to ensure the fulfillment of coal supply for domestic power plants.
Source: https://ekonomi.bisnis.com/read/20220110/9/1487093/eksklusif-jokowi-beri-kode-sebentar-lagi-ekspor-batu-bara-dibuka
