TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, is optimistic about the annual submission of the Work Plan and Budget (RKAB) for mines, believing it will help the government control coal prices. Previously, the submission of mineral and coal RKAB was conducted once every three years.

"With this change, the government can conduct evaluations and control production volume more quickly, so that world coal prices can be influenced by Indonesia," said Bahlil during the opening of Minerba Convex 2025 at JCC Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.

He believes this new policy gives the government the flexibility to adjust production volume according to global market conditions. The change in the RKAB scheme policy is regulated in the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation Number 17 of 2025.

According to Bahlil, global coal prices continue to experience pressure due to the imbalance between demand and supply. He stated that global coal consumption reaches about 8 to 9 billion tons per year, while international trade volume is only 1.3 to 1.4 billion tons per year. "When the availability of goods is too abundant while the recipients are few, prices will inevitably plummet," he said.

Furthermore, Bahlil explained that in the RKAB 2025, the government targets national coal production at 800-900 million tons. Of that amount, around 500-600 million tons are allocated for export. He said this amount equates to 40-49 percent of the total global coal trade.

With such a large export share, Bahlil believes that Indonesia has a strategic position in determining the direction of global coal prices. "If we can regulate the export volume accurately, Indonesia can become one of the controllers of world coal prices," he said.

According to Refinitiv data, the price of coal on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, was recorded at $105.55 per ton, which is a 0.52 percent decrease. This decline extends the three-day trend of weakening coal prices, with a total correction of 0.66 percent.