The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) claims to have approved around 90% of the 2026 Work Plan and Budget (RKAB) for nickel and coal commodities as of mid-April 2026.The Director General of Minerals and coal (Dirjen Minerba) at the Ministry of ESDM, Tri Winarno, stated that several nickel and coal RKAB submissions have not yet been approved because there are incomplete requirements when submitting approval to the Directorate General of Minerals and coal.“Almost done, [approved RKAB] is already close to 90%,” Tri told reporters at the DPR RI Complex on Wednesday (15/4/2026).“It’s lacking this and that, and then it hasn’t been completed yet, so should we approve it? No,” Tri explained.Regarding the potential revision of RKAB, Tri said that no specific mechanism has yet been prepared for mining companies to revise their production quotas.Earlier in April, Tri revealed that the Directorate General of Minerals and coal had approved around 210 million tons of production volume in the 2026 RKAB for nickel commodities, and around 580 million tons for coal.Tri stated that several mining companies—which have not yet received RKAB approval even after the relaxation period ended on March 31, 2026—are still allowed to continue production.However, if the RKAB submitted has been rejected twice, production must be stopped.“If it has already been rejected twice, it cannot continue, but if it’s only the first rejection, it can still proceed,” Tri said when met at the Presidential Palace Complex on Wednesday (8/4/2026).Meanwhile, the cumulative production quota for nickel ore in this year’s RKAB was previously planned in the range of 260 million to 270 million tons. This target has significantly decreased compared to last year’s RKAB production of 379 million tons.The Ministry of ESDM is also planning to reduce coal production targets this year in the 2026 RKAB. coal production in the 2026 RKAB is targeted at around 600 million tons, down from actual production in 2025 of 790 million tons.In another occasion, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia is currently considering providing a measured relaxation of production quotas for these two key Indonesian commodities.He emphasized that the Ministry of ESDM could potentially grant relaxation allowing miners to revise production quotas on a limited basis, provided that commodity prices remain stable.“In the context of supply and demand control for coal and nickel, until today there has been no change in policy from the Minister of ESDM,” Bahlil said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta at the end of March.Meanwhile, an official from the Directorate General of Minerals and coal previously stated that the 25% production relaxation from the old RKAB target is no longer applicable.Previously, ESDM had granted relaxation for miners who had not yet received approval for the 2026 RKAB, allowing them to produce up to 25% of the 2026 production plan stated in the three-year RKAB, even though the 2026 RKAB adjustment had not yet been approved.However, this provision only applied until March 31, 2026. The relaxation was stated in Circular Letter No. 2.E/HK.03/DJB/2025 on the 2026 RKAB dated December 31.
Source https://djakarta-miningclub.com