In order to increase government revenues, the Indonesian government announced that, starting from 2014, coal miners that have a Mining Business License (Izin Usaha Pertambangan/IUP) will have to pay a higher royalty fee to the central government. The decision was made during a meeting between the government and Commission XI of the House of Representatives (DPR) this week. The new royalty policy, which was originally planned to be introduced this year, is expected to result in an increase of IDR 4 trillion (USD $408.2 million) in state revenues.

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Indonesia's coal production is projected to increase 4.4 percent to 400 million tons this year, up from the government's initial forecast of 390 million tons. According to Bob Kamandanu, chairman of the Indonesian Coal Mining Association (Asosiasi Pertambangan Batubara Indonesia, APBI), this growth will be spurred by increased demand from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan in June. The coal price is expected to increase accordingly in the middle of the year.

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Declining profit in Indonesia's coal industry was also confirmed by Adaro Energy's (ADRO) net profit of 2012. The coal mining company reported net profit of US $385.34 million, a 30 percent fall compared to 2011 when it amounted US $550.35 million. Earnings per share also declined from US $0,01721 in 2011 to US $0,01205 in 2012. Lower sales volume and lower global coal prices were cited as the major factors behind the decline.

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The Bakrie Group is most likely to continue its separation from Bumi Plc, the London-listed coal miner, after an extraordinary shareholders' meeting yesterday rejected the proposal of British financier Nathaniel Rothschild to replace 12 of the 14 board members. This outcome means that the Bakrie Group can go ahead with its intention to separate from Bumi Plc as agreed by the board last week and will keep its assets in Bumi Resources, Indonesia's largest coal miner.

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Yesterday, Trans Power Marine made a solid debut on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IHSG). The Indonesian shipping company listed 15 percent of its shares in the initial public offering (IPO) for the price of IDR 230 per share. At the end of the trading day, its shares had surged by 50 percent to IDR 345 (US $0.04). In total, the company gained IDR 90.85 billion (US $9.4 million) through the IPO. These funds will be used to buy new vessels.

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ICRA Indonesia, an independent credit rating agency and subsidiary of ICRA Ltd. (associate of Moody's Investors Service), publishes a monthly newsletter which provides an update on the financial and economic developments in Indonesia of the last month. In the October 2013 edition, a number of important issues that are monitored include Indonesia's inflation rate, the trade balance, the current account deficit, the IDR rupiah exchange rate, and gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Below is an excerpt:

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Concerns have arisen over the government's plan to increase royalties and export duties for coal. The Indonesian Coal Mining Association (APBI) expects that this policy will lead to the closure of various coal miners while increasing acts of illegal mining. According to Bob Kamandanu, chairman of the APBI, 60 million tons of coal per year is not listed by any authority and thus can be labeled 'illegal'. Illegal coal mining also implies that the Indonesian government misses out on about IDR 5.6 trillion (USD $495.6 million) per year.

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After its one-week holiday, Indonesia's main stock index (IHSG) started in negative territory. The index fell 0.93 percent to 4,597.78 on Monday (12/08) with the country's miscellaneous industry sector and the consumer goods sector leading the fall. It is interesting to note that most Indonesian mining companies showed significantly rising share prices as prices of mining commodities are expected to increase. According to Morgan Stanley, coal imports to India will grow while the global coal price has already reached its lowest point.

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State-owned electricity provider Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) stated that consumption of electricity in Indonesia grew 7.2 percent to 90,48 terawatt hour (twh) in the first six months of 2013 compared to the same period last year. Head of PLN's Commercial Division, Benny Marbun, explained that Indonesia's industrial sector particularly consumed more electricity. Although industrial customers of PLN only grew by 4.5 percent in Semester 1-2013 (YoY), industrial electricity consumption grew 8.3 percent (YoY).

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Indonesia already is a strong trade partner to a number of countries in Europe. Based on data released by Indonesia's Ministry of Trade, the Netherlands and Spain are two European countries that import a considerable amount of Indonesian products and thus are important contributors to Indonesia's trade surplus in the non oil & gas sector. But other European nations, such as Germany and Russia, pressure Indonesia's trade surplus. It indicates that, despite the wide distance, Indonesia and Europe have a close and valuable trade relationship.

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Indonesia's trade balance recorded another deficit in April 2013 as imports (USD $16.31 billion) exceeded exports (USD $14.70 billion). April's trade deficit, amounting to USD $1.62 billion, was mainly due to continued weak commodity exports in combination with strong oil, basic machinery and utensils imports. After five consecutive months of deficits up to February, Indonesia’s trade account reported a surplus of USD $330 million in March, but fell back into deficit in April. From January to April, Indonesia's trade deficit stands at USD $1.85 billion.

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The chairman of the Indonesia Coal Mining Association said that Indonesia's coal exports are expected to increase from 310 million tons in 2012 to 330 million tons in 2013, a 6.5 percent increase. Coal producers have been facing a tough period since July 2008 when global coal demand weakened and triggered volatile - but mostly declining - coal prices ever since. Coal demand from China and India, however, is expected to increase this year.

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