South Korea (Carousel) and Japan condemn the export ban coal imposed by the Government of Indonesia from January 1 to January 31, 2022. Both countries protested the prohibition policy export coal while in the midst of high demand for this commodity.
South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Yeo Han Koo even held a virtual emergency meeting with the Indonesian Minister of Trade Muhammad Lutfi.
“Trade Minister Yeo expressed the concern of the (South Korean) government over the ban on Indonesia’s coal exports and strongly requested the cooperation of the Indonesian government so that coal shipments would immediately resume,” the ministry said in a press release as reported by Yonhap, Saturday (8/1).
Answering Yeo, Lutfi said that Indonesia is very aware of South Korea’s concerns about the availability of coal. Therefore, he will endeavor to resolve the matter smoothly.
The two ministers agreed on the importance of cooperation in global coal supply networks. In addition, the two countries also emphasized the need for bilateral efforts to ensure a stable commodity supply chain.
Previously, the Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Kanasugi Kenji also sent a letter to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Arifin Tasrif to lift the ban on coal exports.
Kenji said some Japanese power plants and manufactures rely on coal imported from Indonesia. The ban on coal exports is said to have a serious impact on economic activities and the daily lives of people in Japan.
“Industry in Japan regularly imports coal from Indonesia for power generation and manufacturing (about 2 million tons per month). Therefore, we request to immediately lift the ban on coal exports to Japan,” Kenji wrote in his letter, Wednesday (5/5). / 1) then.
He added that the energy demand in the cherry country is currently high because Japan is facing winter. Kenji also offered another alternative, namely by continuing to open the export faucet of High Calorific Value (HCV) coal used in Japan.
“Japan mostly imports High Calorific Value (HCV) coal from Indonesia, which is different from Low Calorific Value (VCL) coal used by PLN plants,” he added.
Currently, Kenji admits that at least five coal carriers are still waiting for departure to Japan. He specifically requested that the five ships be given permission to depart as soon as possible.
For information, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources prohibits domestic coal companies from exporting from January 1 to January 31, 2022.
This is done to meet the domestic demand for coal or domestic market obligation (DMO), especially for power plants owned by PT PLN (Persero).
(mrh/bir)
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