ISLAMABAD: Indon­esia’s refined coal industry could provide fuel for the power projects under the China-Pakistan Econo­mic Corridor and to Large Scale Manufacturing Industries in Pakistan, Ambassador of Indonesia to Pakistan Adam M Tugio said on Tuesday.

Indonesia currently exports 8.51 million tonnes of coal to the world market, accounting for 26 per cent of the total global coal exports, he said.

The Indonesian envoy met with prominent businessmen in Lahore for promoting bilateral cooperation in various sectors and especially for Indonesian coal in Pakistan, a press release said. The meeting was attended by several businessmen from different sectors including textile industry, steel, ceramic and cement, all of which have the potential to import coal for their energy generators.

The Government of Pakistan has been paying special attention to the development of infrastructure and energy supply as it is one of the Belt and Road Initiative countries where coal is a major part of energy projects.

“By knowing exactly the nominal demand for coal along with the specifications, the demand for coal products will easily be consolidated through a consortium of Indonesian exporters to meet specific demands here, the ambassador remarked.

He said the figures show that Pakistan’s demand for coal is continuously increasing every year.

In 2020, the total import value of coal (coal, briquettes) was $1.233 billion (17,146 million tonnes), while Indonesia’s exports to Pakistan were merely $224m (3,520m tonnes), he said. Indonesia still has the potential to increase exports to meet Pakistan’s coal market requirement of around $1.008bn, the envoy added.

BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy 2021 noted the volume of Indonesia’s coal exports to the world in 2020 reached 8.51 million tonnes.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2022