Indonesia Mulls Cutting Coal Exports

Nusa Dua, Bali, June 5 (ANTARA) - Indonesia has been considering cutting down coal exports in order to meet domestic needs. "The possibility of doing so is big if domestic needs are not met," energy minister Jero Wacik said at the 18th annual Coaltrans Asia conference, attended by 2,200 participants, here on Monday. The minister, however, called on private miners to not worry because "it does not mean that coal exports would be totally stopped". He said exports would only be stopped if domestic supply was short, adding that exports would be possible if domestic needs were fully met. Jero noted oil continued to be the dominant source of energy in Indonesia while it was predicted that the country would run out of oil by 2025. Therefore, he added, the use of coal as a more reliable source of energy had to be boosted. "Indonesia actually could meet its production needs in view of its existing resources. The policy to limit exports would be put in a regulation soon," Jero said. He stated the role of coal as a renewable energy source in Indonesia was significant, because it contributed up to 24 percent of the nation`s energy requirements. Meanwhile, at present, oil contributes up to 49.7 percent of domestic energy needs, followed by gas (20 percent) and other renewable energy sources (5.7 percent). "By 2025, oil could no longer be relied on. Use of gas will be boosted to cover 20 percent of the country`s energy needs, while for coal it would be 37.20 percent, and for other renewable sources it would be 25.9 percent," Jero said.