Bambang Gatot Ariyono, director for coal and minerals utilization at the energy and mineral resources ministry, said drought, alongside a milder El Niño effect, would help producers exceed this year’s 250 million ton coal production target. The Meteorology, Geophysics and Climatology Agency (BMG) said Indonesia would experience dry weather starting from May to July. The weather will also affect the coal-rich island of Kalimantan. Bob Kamandanu, chairman of the Indonesian Coal Mining Association (APBI), a business association representing 45 coal companies, said coal production could rise by up to 8%. The increase in production, Ariyono added, was also a response to forecasts on global coal demand, expected to grow in line with the global recovery from economic downturn.

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