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RI coal exports dip amid weak demand, price dispute
Indonesian coal exports dropped 6.43 percent to 160 million tonnes in the January-April period of 2025, driven by weaker demand from China and India.
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Hitting a low: Coal is carried on barges on Aug. 16, 2022, in Samarinda, East Kalimantan. (AFP/Adek Berry)
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ndonesian coal exports dropped 6.43 percent to 160 million tonnes in the January-April period of 2025, according to data from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.
Surya Herjuna, the ministry’s coal business development director, denied that high reference prices were to blame, but traders warned that misaligned pricing indices could further erode global demand as thermal coal prices hit four-year lows.
Surya said the declining exports were caused partly by geopolitical tensions, which have dampened demand from key buyers, especially China and India, the two most populous countries.
“Due to the trade war, production activity in both countries has slowed,” he said during a discussion in Jakarta on Wednesday, as Bisnis reported.
Chinese customs reported a 20 percent year-on-year (yoy) decline in April.
Some buyers have cited Indonesia’s reference coal price (HBA) as a possible deterrent, arguing it was higher than global market rates.
Read also: Govt’s bid to hike coal export prices faces global market backlash
