RI backs China?s plan to stop imports of low calorie coal

The Indonesian government strongly supports China?s plan to limit the country?s imports of low calorie coal, saying that the import restriction would help Indonesia to limit the excessive exports of low grade coal from the country, Kontan daily reported on Monday.

Director general of mineral and coal at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, Thamrin Sihite, said in Jakarta last week that the Indonesian government would lobby the Chinese government to soon impose the import restriction.

?We hope that the import restriction will be soon implemented. We are waiting for their decision,? Thamrin said, adding that the Chinese policy would help reduce the excessive exports of low grade coal from Indonesia.

He said that his office had long planned to restrict exports of low calorie coal but it was strongly opposed by Indonesian coal miners.

China plans to stop imports of coal with calorie of below 4,800 kilo calorie (kcal) per kilogram in a bid to reduce the country?s worsening industrial pollution. China, which is the largest buyer of Indonesia?s low calorie coal, imported 54 million tons of coal from Indonesia last year, including 10.8 million tons of low calorie coal.

?The Chinese ban is quite positive and will be able reduce Indonesia?s low calorie coal exports,? he said, adding that if China continued with its ban, Indonesia?s coal production this year could be reduced to 331 million tons from the initial target of 391 million tons. (*)