Workers walk near a coal barge at a port in Palembang, South Sumatra (Photo: ANTARA/VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – The Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has begun studies to map the potential of rare earth minerals in domestic coal and is also considering other ways to increase the value derived from the commodity beyond its use as a power plant feedstock.
Agung Pribadi, head of the energy ministry’s Center for Mineral, Coal and Geothermal Resources (PSDMBP), said Indonesian coal potentially contained a lot of rare earth elements (REE), which could increase its export value.
Moreover, coal could be refined to make it suitable for metallurgical activities or processed into synthetic graphene, he explained.
He said that Indonesia's export of thermal coal surpassed 413 million tonnes over the first 10 months of 2023, a new high cementing its status as the largest exporter of the high-emission power fuel.
Indonesian shipments jumped 11.5% from the same period in 2022, roughly twice the growth rate of the total global coal exports that are on track to touch new highs in 2023 despite efforts to transition several major energy systems away from fossil fuels.
According to the Critical Raw Materials Alliance (CRMA), germanium is primarily used in fiber optics and infrared optics. It is also used in electronics and solar cell applications. In 2014, germanium price in the US was at 1,918 USD per kg. The price of this precious metal has plummeted since then, to about 1,300 USD per kg in 2022.
According to the CRMA, China accounts for about 60% of the world's germanium production, with the rest coming from Canada, Finland, Russia, and the US.
Siti Sumilah Rita Susilawati, Secretary of the Geology Department of ESDM, said that in Indonesia, research on rare earth minerals in coal is still modest. A study conducted on coal from the Bangko mine in South Sumatra province found that this coal likely contained REE levels ranging from 2.4-118.4 parts per million (ppm)./.
