Asosiasi Penambang Nikel Indonesia (APNI) has confirmed that its member companies have not yet received approval for their 2026 RKAB revisions, contradicting an earlier statement from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) that it had approved over a dozen applications.
APNI Mining Advisory Board Chairman Djoko Widajatno said on Monday (24 August 2026) that none of its members had received revised RKAB approvals to date. He added that members have now begun preparing their 2027 RKAB submissions, with the application window opening in October 2026.
ESDM had previously claimed that approximately a dozen nickel companies and several dozen coal companies had received RKAB revision approvals, though it declined to disclose the specific additional quota volumes. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has stated that quota allocations would be carried out in a measured manner and prioritise companies paying higher royalty rates.
Indonesia's 2026 nickel ore RKAB production quota has been set at 260–270 million tonnes, a significant decline from the 2025 target of 379 million tonnes. Industry players are currently awaiting government evaluation of the revised RKAB submissions made last month.
