Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Today's Headlines Coal

  • Indonesia Eyes New Coal Price Formula, Mining Shares Plunge

    Several big coal mining companies, listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange, saw their shares slide drastically on Wednesday (13/09) after Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan announced to be considering formulating new rules to determine the price of coal for domestic supplies. However, no time-frame was given as Jonan will first listen to input from the mining sector.

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  • Reference Coal Price of Indonesia Soars in September 2017

    Indonesia's reference coal price surged in September 2017. Southeast Asia's largest economy's benchmark coal price (in Indonesian: Harga Batubara Acuan, or HBA) soared 9.6 percent month-on-month (m/m) to USD $92.03 per metric ton, from USD $83.97 in August. Indonesia's HBA is now at its highest position since December 2016.

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  • Coal Price Expected to Fall up to Late-October 2017

    Coal supplies in China are estimated to show a 5.8 million ton surplus in the September-October 2017 period in line with sliding coal demand in the world's second-largest economy. Therefore, coal prices should come under pressure starting from mid-August up to late October 2017. Coal demand in China will ease as local weather conditions turn normal. Meanwhile, local coal supplies are seen growing as miners want to take advantage of the higher coal price.

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  • Coal Mining Industry Indonesia Update: Rising Price in August

    The coal price has gained some further momentum over the past month. Indonesia's benchmark coal price (in Indonesian: Harga Batubara Acuan, or HBA) rose 6.36 percent month-on-month (m/m) to USD $83.97 per metric ton in August 2017. The average HBA price so far in 2017 stands at USD $82.02 per ton, up significantly from an average of USD $61.8 per ton in full-year 2016.

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  • Commodity Watch Indonesia: Coal & Crude Oil

    The price of coal rose at the end of trading on Wednesday (26/07) in line with strengthening crude oil prices. Coal futures (January 2018 contracts, the most-active contract on the Rotterdam commodities exchange), finished 0.03 percent higher at USD $73.15 per metric ton. Hence, coal extended its rise after a 1.04 percent increase on the previous trading day (25/07).

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  • Commodity Watch Indonesia: Coal & Crude Oil

    The coal price weakened at the end of trading on Monday (24/07). Coal futures (January 2018 contracts, the most active contract on the Rotterdam commodities exchange), fell 1.84 percent to USD $72.38 per metric ton on Monday, reversing from their performance on the preceding trading session (Friday 21/07) when coal prices rose 0.45 percent to USD $73.74 per metric ton.

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  • Commodity Price Watch Indonesia: Rubber, Crude Oil & Coal

    Rubber prices tumbled about 2 percent in early trading on Friday (21/07) after surging 4 percent in the previous trading session. The price of rubber for December 2017 delivery, the most active contract on the Tokyo Commodity Exchange (Tocom), tumbled 1.99 percent (or 4.30 points) to 211.90 yen per kilogram at 07:40 am local Jakarta time. Ahead of this tumble, there occurred a rubber price rally as most farmers held back their rubber stock sales following expectations of higher prices.

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  • Coal Mining in Indonesia: Can Authorities Limit Coal Output?

    The Indonesian government is having problems curbing the nation's coal output, especially now coal prices are at a much more attractive level compared to one year ago. Therefore, the government may consider implementing disincentives or even sanctions in order to keep coal production under control and push it down to (an annual) 400 million metric tons by 2019.

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  • Coal Mining News Indonesia: Benchmark Price Rises in July 2017

    Indonesia's benchmark coal price (in Indonesian: Harga Batubara Acuan, or HBA) rose 4.6 percent month-on-month (m/m) to USD $78.95 per metric ton in July 2017. The HBA price, set by Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry each month, is based on (1) the Platts Kalimantan (5,900 kcal/kg GAR assessment), (2) the Argus-Indonesia Coal Index 1 (6,500 kcal/kg GAR), (3) the Newcastle Export Index - formerly the Barlow-Jonker index (6,322 kcal/kg GAR) - and (4) the globalCOAL Newcastle (6,000 kcal/kg NAR) index.

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  • What Does the Indonesian Gov't Want to Do with the Coal Sector?

    While Indonesian authorities try to curtail the nation's coal production in order to safeguard plenty of supplies for future use (particularly to fuel Indonesia's coal-fired power plants), it is difficult for local coal miners to resist producing and exporting more coal now coal prices are still about 50 percent higher compared to the situation one year ago.

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Latest Columns Coal

  • Commodities Indonesia: Moratorium on New Coal Mining Concessions

    Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources will soon issue a moratorium on new coal mining concessions. This moratorium will be implemented after the issuance of a planned presidential instruction regarding a five-year moratorium on new palm oil plantation concessions. Heriyanto, Head of the Legal Department Directorate General of Minerals and Coal at the Energy Ministry, emphasized that the moratorium in Indonesia's mining industry only involves coal, not the mining of minerals.

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  • Coal Remains King in Indonesia: Rising Domestic Consumption of Coal

    Domestic coal consumption in Indonesia rose 34.5 percent (y/y) to 24.5 million tons in the January-April 2016 period, according to data from Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. This growth is caused by higher domestic coal demand due to Indonesia's ambitious 35,000 MW program (many of the power plants constructed in this program are coal-fired). Meanwhile, Indonesia's coal exports were down 14 percent (y/y) to 68 million metric tons over the same period amid sluggish global demand.

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  • Indonesia's Controversial Batang Power Plant: Human Rights & Environment

    Last week it was announced that the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) agreed to a USD $3.4 billion loan for the construction of the controversial Batang power plant in Central Java. This power plant project is controversial as it met fierce resistance from the local community (triggering concerns about human rights violations related to the land acquisition process) as well as criticism from environmental groups, saying this power plant - set to become Indonesia's largest coal-fired power plant - runs counter to Indonesia's earlier commitment to reduce carbon emissions.

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  • Indonesian Companies in Focus: Coal Miner Adaro Energy

    Adaro Energy, one of Indonesia's leading coal mining companies, is still plagued by the globe's weak coal prices. However, the company's estimated lower cash and operational costs give a positive boost to the miner's corporate earnings this year. According to Danareksa Sekuritas' estimates the cost of mining for Adaro Energy (outside royalty payments) will range between USD $26 - $28 per ton in 2016, slightly down from USD $28 per ton last year. Meanwhile, the miner's stripping ratio is expected to decline to 4.7x in 2016 (from 5.2x last year).

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  • Indonesian Companies in Focus: Astra International Facing Challenges

    One of the leading diversified conglomerates in Indonesia, Astra International, is facing challenges. Demand for cars has been on the decline in Indonesia over the past two years. This is a big challenge for the company because the automotive sector accounts for about half of Astra's total earnings. Meanwhile, its heavy equipment & mining segment and the financial services segment have been under severe pressure. Net income in the heavy equipment & mining segment plunged 55 percent (y/y) in Q1-2016, while net income in the financial services segment tumbled 46 percent (y/y) over the same period.

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  • Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam: Only Coal Miner in Indonesia to See Growth?

    State-controlled coal mining company Tambang Batubara Bukit Asam may be the only Indonesian coal producer that will post higher sales in 2016, both in terms of volume and revenue. The nation's other coal miners are expected to see further dropping coal sales due to sluggish global demand although coal prices may stabilize this year. According to Trimegah Securities Bukit Asam's coal sales volume will rise 25 percent (y/y) to 23.9 million tons in 2016, while revenue is estimated to rise 9 percent (y/y) to IDR 15 trillion (approx. USD $1.1 billion), and coal mining operational costs to fall by 3 percent (y/y) to USD $39.8 per ton.

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  • Indonesia's United Tractors Plagued by Weak Demand for Heavy Equipment

    United Tractors, the largest distributor of heavy equipment in Indonesia, is still facing challenges due to persistently weak demand for heavy equipment amid low commodity prices. Business activity in the agribusiness, mining and infrastructure sectors have slowed This context is expected to lead to slowing net profit for the company in both 2015 and 2016. The company, a subsidiary of Astra International (Indonesia's largest diversified conglomerate), controls a market share of around 40 percent in Indonesia's heavy equipment market.

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  • Coal Production in Indonesia Down 15.4% to 263 Million Tons in January-August

    Coal production in Indonesia fell 15.4 percent to 263 million tons in the first eight months of 2015 (from 311 million tons in the same period last year) as Indonesian coal miners cut production due to low global coal demand. Last week it was reported that Indonesia’s reference thermal coal price hit another all-time low at USD $58.21 per metric ton (FOB), down 1.6 percent from the August reference rate, and the fifth consecutive month of decline. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s coal exports fell 18 percent to 211 million tons (y/y) in the January-August period.

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  • Rising Unemployment in Indonesia as Coal Miners Cease Production

    In the 2000s many Indonesian companies diversified their business to include coal mining (or shifting their core business to coal mining altogether) due to lucrative opportunities amid the 2000s commodities boom. However, since 2009 mining companies have had to face tough times. Especially since 2011 commodity prices have shown a declining trend and there remains little hope of a rebound on the short term as the sluggish global economic growth trend persists, particularly led by the economic slowdown in China.

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  • Coal Mining Industry Indonesia: Troubled Licenses & Falling Prices

    The government of Indonesia is eager to use current low coal prices as the context to push for consolidation in the country’s coal mining sector. Sudirman Said, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, announced that the government may revoke over 4,000 troubled mining licenses this month and install a better licensing system. Licenses that may be revoked are Mining Business Permits (IUPs), not the long-standing Coal Contracts of Work (PKP2B) that are held by companies such as Bumi Resources and Berau Coal Energy.

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