ESDM Says Nickel Exports Not Yet Required to Go Through a Special State-Owned Enterprise
Tangerang, CNBC Indonesia - The Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) said that the nickel commodity has not yet been included in the list of mining commodities required to export through a dedicated State-Owned Enterprise (BUMN) or PT Danantara Sumber Daya Indonesia.
Currently, the one-door export policy targets three strategic commodities considered to have the highest export value: crude palm oil (CPO), coal, and ferroalloys. Tri Winarno, Director-General of minerals and coal (Dirjen Minerba) at the Ministry of ESDM, explained that the government is still finalising the types of commodities that will have their sales consolidated.
To date, there is no mandate requiring nickel to be managed by that special body. “No, not yet. For now, only those three,” he said during a break at The 50th IPA Convention & Exhibition (Convex) at ICE BSD, Tangerang Regency, on Wednesday 20 May 2026.
The commodities currently included in the scope of the one-door export policy are the energy and plantation sectors. The three commodities are coal, ferroalloys, and crude palm oil. “The commodities are just coal, ferroalloys, and CPO,” he explained.
The government included ferroalloys in the list because of their contribution to the national export value. This product is a refined mineral product with high added value, including ferro-nickel, which has long been a mainstay of foreign exchange from the mining sector. “This one contributes the most to our export value,” he added.
Although the one-door export scheme has begun to be promoted, officials admit they do not yet have a deep understanding of the technical mechanisms or field operational flow. The Ministry of ESDM awaits further coordination from the regulator regarding the certainty of implementation for business players.
“I don’t know what the flow will look like, what the clarity will be, I don’t know yet,” Tri concluded.
Earlier, President Prabowo Subianto revealed that the sale of all Indonesia’s natural resource outputs, from palm oil to coal and ferroalloy iron, must be conducted through a Special Export State-Owned Enterprise. “It must be sold through a BUMN designated by the RI government as the sole exporter. In essence, every export result will be passed to the government-chosen BUMN to the operator of these activities,” Prabowo clarified.
Prabowo stated that the purpose of forming this Special Export SOE can be seen as a marketing facility, strengthening supervision and monitoring to root out practices of under-invoicing, transfer pricing, and capital flight of export earnings. “This policy will optimise tax revenue and state revenue from our natural resource management; with this policy we hope our revenue can be like Mexico, the Philippines, and our neighbouring countries,” he said.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said the special state-owned company is named PT Danantara Sumber Daya Indonesia. “Investments/Head of BKPM Rosan Rooslani has formed the PT Danantara Sumber Daya Indonesia. Further details will be explained,” Hartarto said at the press conference outlining the Macro Economic Framework and Key Fiscal Policy Issues for the 2027 Fiscal Year, in the Parliament Complex.
Rosan added that the creation of PT Danantara Sumber Daya Indonesia is a transparency measure for transactions. “For a long time, in the presidential data in the World Bank, there has been high levels of under-invoicing and transfer pricing,” Rosan noted.
(wia)