Jakarta. Indonesia’s coal export fell by double digits in 2025, as the government drafts the regulation to start collecting duties on overseas shipments of the black combustible sedimentary rock.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported that coal exports weakened to $22.17 billion in January-November 2025, down 20.27% from the same period in 2024. Indonesia managed to sell at least $27.80 billion worth of coal to foreign markets last year. From a volume standpoint, the figures dropped 3.97% as Indonesia only shipped 354.64 million tons of coal as of November 2025. The export volume had totaled 369.31 million tons in the first 11 months of 2024.

“In November alone, coal exports totaled 34.17 million tons, down 2.72% year-on-year [yoy],” BPS deputy Pudji Ismartini told a press conference on Monday.

The declining coal exports had translated into a 22.28% yoy decline in November’s mining shipments. According to BPS, global coal prices reached $112.6 per metric ton in November 2025, up 4.74% from the previous month. Prices also plummeted 20.77% yoy.

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa had planned to start imposing export duties on coal starting Jan. 1, 2026, but he has yet to issue a ministerial regulation to this day. He previously stated that the tariffs under discussion would have a tier system. It would start from 5%, but can reach 8% and even 11%, depending on the coal prices. Purbaya admitted that businesses had objected to the plan.

According to local news outlet Kompas, Purbaya said Monday that he would sign the regulation “in the near future”. He also added that the policy could “apply retroactively”. In other words, the government may issue the regulation later, but Indonesia had already begun collecting the taxes since Jan. 1. However, Deputy Energy Minister Yuliot Tanjung told reporters Friday that the export duties did not take effect on Jan. 1, citing that the government was still finalizing the regulations.