An energy researcher and a coal association chair have predicted that the country’s coal exports will start to decline in the 2030s, largely because the commodity’s biggest buyers, China and India, plan to undergo major transitions to cleaner energy.
Fabby Tumiwa, executive director at energy research nonprofit Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), said during an online discussion on Aug. 26 that the two countries’ recently announced energy transition plans would “clearly reduce coal imports from Indonesia”.
Over 80 percent of Indonesia’s 625 million tons of planned coal production is to be sold to overseas markets, mainly China and India, according to Fabby.
He pointed out that Japan and South Korea, other major buyers of Indonesian coal, were on similar paths toward renewable energy.
