Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – After the request for the lifting of the ban on coal exports from Japan to Indonesia, now another East Asian country has asked for the same thing, namely South Korea.
The South Korean government through the Minister of Trade Yeo Han-koo expressed concern over this policy of the Indonesian government and strongly requested that the Indonesian government cooperate to lift the ban on coal exports and return coal export activities to normal.
Minister of Trade Yeo also immediately held a meeting with the Minister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia Muhammad Lutfi online to convey the request of the Korean Government.
“Minister of Trade Yeo conveyed the Korean Government’s concerns regarding the policy of banning Indonesia’s coal exports and asked “very strongly” for cooperation from the Indonesian government so that coal shipments (exports) could resume immediately,” said an official statement from the South Korean Ministry of Trade, as quoted by the Ministry of Trade. from Yonhap News Agency (YNA), Friday (07/01/2022).
Minister of Trade Muhammad Lutfi also said that the Indonesian government is very aware of South Korea’s concerns and the government is also continuing to make efforts to deal with this problem smoothly.
The two ministers agreed on the importance of cooperation in the global supply network and emphasized the need for bilateral efforts for a stable commodity supply chain.
Previously, the Japanese Embassy in Indonesia sent a letter to the Indonesian government so that high-calorie coal, which is not normally used for power generation in Indonesia, could still be sent to the Sakura Country.
“The sudden export ban has had a serious impact on economic activity in Japan and on people’s daily lives,” the letter said.
As is known, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has adopted a policy to ban coal exports for the period 1 to 31 January 2022 for holders of Mining Business Permits (IUP) or IUPKs for the Production Operation stage, and IUPK as Continuation of Contract/Agreement Operations and PKP2B as a result of the crisis in coal supply for PLN power plants and private power developers (Independent Power Producer/ IPP).
Director General of Mineral and Coal of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Ridwan Djamaluddin said that this step must be taken and is temporary in order to maintain security and stability of electricity and the national economy.
The lack of coal supply for power plants in the country could threaten the electricity supply for 10 million PLN customers, ranging from the general public to industry in Java, Madura, Bali (Jamali), and non-Jamali.
Nearly 20 Steam Power Plants (PLTU) with a total power of around 10,850 Mega Watt (MW) are threatened with extinction if coal supply for power plants is not supplied by coal companies.
(wia)
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