"We'll just balance consumption, and that's what we produce," Lahadalia said at the 2026 Energy Self-Sufficiency Strategy: Downstreaming, Transition, and Investment held in Jakarta on Thursday.
He explained that the total coal consumed globally is 8.9 billion tons, while the amount of coal traded is only around 1.3 billion tons.
"Indonesia supplies 560 million tons of coal abroad. But we don't control the price; this is just a scam," Lahadalia said.
Indonesian coal prices are showing a downward trend, as can be seen from the coal reference price (HBA). The HBA for the first period of February 2026 was recorded at US$106.11 per ton, lower than the HBA in February 2025 of US$124.24 per ton.
Regarding the mining association that has called on the government to re-evaluate the policy to increase coal and nickel production quotas in 2026, Lahadalia emphasized the importance of maintaining production of non-renewable commodities for future generations.
Lahadalia said the issue was that many entrepreneurs had grown too used to maintaining consistently high production levels, reminding them that the country does not belong only to the present generation but also to their children and grandchildren.
If coal and nickel are not yet selling at a good price, Lahadalia continues, then mass production should not be undertaken. According to him, the unextracted mining commodities can be passed on to the next generation.
As previously reported, the Indonesian Mining Association (API-IMA) requested that the government review the policy of setting coal and nickel production quotas for 2026 and increase production quotas for both mining commodities.
The 2026 coal production quota was set at around 600 million tons, a decrease of around 190 million tons compared to the 2025 realization of 790 million tons.
For nickel ore, production restrictions were reduced to 250-260 million tons from the 2025 Work Plan and Budget (RKAB) of 379 million tons.
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Translator: Putu Indah Savitri, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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