Indonesia to review coal mining licences

Nusa Dua, Indonesia

INDONESIA will push for consolidation in its mining sector while coal prices are low and may soon revoke more than 4,000 licences that have caused problems, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said said on Monday.

Indonesia ships about US$2 billion of coal a month and is the world's top exporter of thermal coal, but it wants to keep more of the fuel to feed ballooning domestic power demand. At the same time, it wants to squeeze more revenue from the sector.