APBI sees coal output up by 20% next year

By Bambang Atmaja

Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Coal Mining Association (APBI) Herman Kasih said that the association forecast the country?s coal production to rise by 20 percent to over 400 million tons next year as global demand picks up.

The chairman said that 80 percent of the production would be shipped overseas. ?The target of production is more than 400 million tons in 2014, or 20 percent higher than that of this year?s,? he said Monday on the sidelines of a discussion on the mining industry.

?The biggest market is still overseas, only 20 percent of the production would be set aside for domestic market,? he said.

Indonesia is the world?s largest exporter of thermal coal.

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources? Director of Coal Business Development Edi Prasodjo said on December 26 that the country?s coal production in 2014 was expected to be about the same with this year?s estimate of 393 million tons as the government was trying to control domestic production amid lingering weak commodity price.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak