As War Weighs Heavy, Indonesia Stands Ready to Fulfill Coal Demands from the EU

JAKARTADAILY.ID – With war weighing heavy on the continent, the European Union will be hard-pressed to find coal suppliers in the upcoming winter. 

Sanctioning Russia is not without its costs as the gas giant has retaliated by cutting off gas supplies to the region, forcing many countries to rely on steam power plants once again, and these generators will be needing coal.

This is the impact of the Western bloc's policy to embargo coal from Russia. The pressure was felt even more after President Vladimir Putin cut gas supplies to Europe via the North Stream I pipeline by up to 60 percent of normal times, causing oil and gas supplies in Europe to dwindle.

With winter approaching, energy consumption is slated to rise higher than usual due to people needing more heat during the season.

Also Read: EU Crude Oil Embargo Against Russia Raises Indonesian Crude Price on May To USD109.61 per Barrel

The Director-General of Mineral and Coal (Dirjen Minerba) of the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Ridwan Djamaluddin, said that a number of EU countries had approached domestic entrepreneurs to obtain the black gold supply.

Germany, which was the one that was informed of the potential crisis, has officially requested 150 million coal from Indonesia. This will affect the revision of the 2022 work plan and budget (RKAB).

"Demand figures are already 150 million (tons). That's the German figures I know," he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Communications Bureau of Public Information Services and Cooperation of the Indonesian Ministry of Energy, Agung Pribadi said that the German coal association had held a meeting with the Minister of Energy Arifin Tasrif some time ago.

"At the meeting, it was stated that 50 percent of Germany's coal supply comes from Russia and with the current situation, Germany wants to develop cooperation in coal supply with Indonesia," he explained.

The latest coal trade data noted that the black gold commodity was traded at the level of US$395.50 per metric ton on Tuesday,  June 21, 2022. The price rose high reaching 3.47 percent or 13.25 points compared to the previous day.

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Meanwhile domestically, Indonesia's coal production has so far reached 284.41 million tons or 42.90 percent of the target set at the beginning of the year, namely 663 million tons.