Industries and households therefore, are looking elsewhere to satisfy energy needs. As the price of oil has increased over the last five years, Indonesian industries are under pressure to switch to their country's "black gold" or more correctly; "black diamond": coal. Indonesia has total estimated reserve of 36 millions tons of coal, however, 58.7 % of the amount belongs to lignite coal (lower rank coal) whose calorific values between 3500 kcal/kg and 4600 kcal/kg.
Sa patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng langis sa nakaraang limang taon, iminumungkasi sa mga industriya ng Indonesia ang paggamit ng "itim na ginto" o "itim na brilyante" ng bansa: ang uling. Tinatayang may 36 milyong toneladang reserba ng uling ang Indonesia, ngunit 58,7% ng reserbang ito ay "lignite coal" (isang mababang uri ng uling), na may "calorific value" mula 3599 kcal/kg at 4600 kcal/kg.