Philippines, Japan call on Indonesia to lift coal export ban

Jakarta took step this month in face of dwindling stockpiles

Excavators load coal onto a truck in West Java province, Indonesia in 2019. The country has now imposed a one-month ban on exports of the commodity. Antara Foto/Dedhez Anggara via REUTERS

SHOTARO TANI and CLIFF VENZON, Nikkei staff writers

January 10, 2022 16:53 JST

JAKARTA/MANILA -- Asian countries that rely on Indonesian coal to generate power are calling on the nation to drop its ban on exports of the commodity, with the Philippines the latest to reach out to Jakarta.

The Philippines energy department said in a statement on Monday that Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi last week "appealed" to his Indonesian counterpart, Arifin Tasrif, to lift the ban, "specifically to the Philippines."