Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has approved nickel ore RKAB production targets estimated to reach approximately 100 million tons by mid-March.

(Source: Overseas Steel)

Source: Overseas Steel

Kontan Jakarta reports that Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) is accelerating the approval of the 2026 Mining and Coal Production Work Plans and Budgets (RKAB).

Director of the Mineral and Coal General Directorate (Minerba) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Tri Winarno, revealed that as of March 17, 2026, the approved coal production work plan budget totals approximately 390 million tons, close to 400 million tons.

“About 390 million tons, moving toward 400 million tons,” he said during an interview at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources office on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.

On the other hand, regarding nickel ore, as of mid-March 2026, the approved nickel ore production work plan budget is estimated at around 100 million tons. The government’s goal is to complete all nickel ore production work plan approvals by the end of March 2026.

“Nickel ore is roughly at the 100 million-ton level. The goal is still to finish by the end of March. Both companies and the government are working hard to push this forward,” Tri said.

He explained that the approval process for this year’s production work plan budgets has taken longer due to the implementation of a new application system, which still requires on-site adjustments.

Previously, in February 2026, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources announced the approval of the nickel ore production work plan budget, with a quota of approximately 260–270 million tons. This figure is lower than the previous year’s production work plan budget target of about 379 million tons.

The national coal production target for 2026 is set at 600 million tons.

Among them, PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA) has received approval from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources for its 2026 coal production work plan and budget. In this approval, the state-owned mining company was granted a maximum production quota of 53.2 million tons.

Eko Prayitno, head of the company secretary department, revealed that according to the approval of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources for the production work plan budget, PTBA’s approved coal production quota for 2026 is 53,200,000 tons.

“This number is the official upper limit for the company’s mining operations for the year,” Eko said on Monday, March 16.

Eko stated that the 53.2 million-ton production work plan quota for 2026 will help maintain PTBA’s production at a stable trend, with capacity showing an upward trend compared to previous years. The 2026 production guidance will be announced together with the company’s FY2025 performance data.

“Obviously, the 53.2 million-ton figure is strategically significant for supporting the company’s financial and operational performance targets in 2026,” he explained.

Meanwhile, PT Indo Tambangraya Megah Tbk (ITMG) stated that it has not yet received an official approval letter for its production work plan and budget. Julius Kurniawan Gozali, director of ITMG, said that the approval information is only visible in the Mineral and Coal General Directorate system, so the company cannot disclose specific production quotas at this time.

He also hinted that the quota might be lower than last year.

“Compared to last year, there is a reduction. All our mining areas are involved in production cuts, so output will definitely decrease compared to last year,” he explained to Kontan on Monday, March 16.