China retains top spot as Indonesia's largest coal export market in H1 2026

By Pandu Setiabudi

Indonesia exported 40.1 million tonnes of coal in June 2026, down 1.0% from the previous month but up 14.7% from a year earlier. Export value rose 5.0% month on month and 46.8% year on year to US$2.963 billion.

For the first half of 2026, coal export volume reached 231.6 million tonnes, down 3.2% from the same period last year, while export value increased 4.5% from US$14.432 billion to US$15.079 billion. The data were released by Statistics Indonesia (BPS) on August 3.

During the first half of the year, China remained Indonesia's largest export destination, accounting for a 37.7% share of total coal exports, with shipments reaching 87.3 million tonnes, up 3.9% year on year. India ranked second with 43.2 million tonnes.

Meanwhile, the ASEAN region collectively imported 59.6 million tonnes, led by the Philippines (19.0 million tonnes), Vietnam (16.9 million tonnes), and Malaysia (12.6 million tonnes).

On a cumulative basis, Banjarmasin Port remained Indonesia's largest coal export gateway, handling 43.2 million tonnes, down 0.2% from a year earlier. It was followed by Samarinda Port, Balikpapan Port, and Satui Port, which recorded export volumes of 29.6 million tonnes, 24.7 million tonnes, and 23.0 million tonnes, respectively.

Based on trends over the past two years, Indonesia's coal exports have generally been stronger in the second half than in the first half. However, this pattern is unlikely to be repeated in 2026, as the reduction in the RKAB (Work Plan and Budget) production quota to around 600 million tonnes is expected to constrain export growth, although the quota is reportedly set to be revised upward primarily to meet domestic power generation requirements.

According to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia's coal production reached 367 million tonnes in H1 2026, while Domestic Market Obligation (DMO) realization stood at 81.58 million tonnes, against the government's assigned target, reportedly around 212 million tonnes.

For the full year 2025, Indonesia exported 524.0 million tonnes of coal valued at US$30.209 billion. China was the largest export destination with 212.8 million tonnes, while Banjarmasin Port remained the country's largest coal export gateway, handling 94.8 million tonnes.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak