Coal and Nickel RKAB Approvals Targeted for Completion in Days

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) is finalising approvals for the 2026 Mining Work Plans and Budgets (RKAB) for minerals and coal. The 2026 RKAB is targeted to be completed by the end of March 2026. Director General of Minerals and Coal (Dirjen Minerba) at the Ministry of ESDM, Tri Winarno, assured that his side will accelerate and meet the deadline. “The target remains end of March. Both the companies and the government are actively involved,” Tri stated when met at the Ministry of ESDM office in Jakarta recently. He noted that up to mid-March, the government has approved nearly 400 million tonnes for coal and more than 100 million tonnes for nickel under the 2026 RKAB. “The main goal is to keep pushing forward,” he added. The government mentioned challenges arising from the transition to a new application system for submissions, which requires adaptation to ensure that data uploaded by businesses can be properly synchronised with the system. “The new application sometimes can’t align yet. If it’s not active, it won’t work,” he concluded. Will Coal Targets Be Pushed Further? Meanwhile, based on the latest developments, the government plans to increase national coal production as a measure to anticipate the impact of the war in the Middle East, which has triggered a rise in global energy prices. Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Airlangga Hartarto, revealed that the government is evaluating an increase in coal production volume within the 2026 Work Plans and Budgets (RKAB). This step follows instructions from President Prabowo Subianto during a cabinet meeting on Thursday (19/3/2026). The increase in coal production is expected to help mitigate the risk of spikes in fuel oil (BBM) prices and other energy commodities due to geopolitical turmoil. “Therefore, the President also requested that the coal production volume be increased. This means there will be adjustments to the RKAB,” Airlangga said at the State Palace. In addition to production increases, the government is also reviewing coal export tax schemes as one effort to optimise state revenues. With the potential for rising commodity prices, the government hopes to gain additional income from windfall profits in the coal sector. “The hope is that government revenue will also rise with windfall profits, which will lead to increased government income,” he stated.