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Ministry of Energy and AND Mineral Resources of Indonesia to revise HBA methodology

Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) in process to revise Indonesian Coal Price Reference (HBA) and expected to complete by this month. According to media reports, the government wants the Indonesian Coal Price Reference to reflect its true value of Indonesian coal.

According to local media reports, the government is in opinion that, Indonesia is a low calorific value coal producer and export, where’s the current HBA was based on high calorific value. Hence a significant revision is required particularly the basis of coal that used to calculate monthly Indonesian Coal Price Reference (HBA).

The current HBA was calculated based on calorific value of 6,322 kcal/kg (GAR), using a formula based on the average of ICI-1 (Indonesia Coal Index) 25%, Platts-5900 25%, NEX (Newcastle Export Index) 25%, and GC (globalCoal Index) 25% and its was calculated considering coal with GCV (GAR) 6,322 kcal/kg, Total Moisture (arb) 8.00%, Total Sulphur 0.8% (arb), Ash Content 15 % (arb). It is not clear that, whether the government sill going to use the average of three international indices or it is going to revise the formula purely based on Indonesian coal.

The Director General of Mineral and Coal of Indonesia revised down Indonesian coal benchmark price once again to US$ 59.14 per MT for 6322 GAR coal in August 2015. The August price reference for Indonesian coal declined just 0.03% or US cents 2 per MT month over month and lost 7.36% year to date. Indonesian thermal coal reference price or called HBA recorded the lowest level in 80 months in August or since launching of HBA by the government of Indonesia in January 2009.

The new methodology for calculating Indonesian Coal Price Reference (HBA), may push up the minimum selling price of Indonesian coal in the future.
source: http://coalspot.com