Jero upbeat on coal prices recovering

By Bambang Atmaja

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik is upbeat that coal price would recover from the current weak prices as role of coal in generate electricity would remain strong in the future.

?The recent meeting of the ASEAN energy ministers forecasted that the function of coal is going to be higher in the future,? Jero told Petromindo.com at the State Palace.

He said that Indonesian miners also needed to take action such as to control production in dealing with the decline of coal prices.

?When the price is down, please do not mine the coal, then the price is going to rise," he said.

Industry Minister M.S. Hidayat expressed concerns over declining trend of the global coal price, saying that his office is closely monitoring the trend.

?We are now monitoring how long the trend will be. There must be a response to it," he told Petromindo.com without elaborating the response that would be taken.

Editing by Adianto P. Simamora