The transportation of oil and natural gas is blocked, prompting several Asian countries to turn to coal as a temporary solution.

The ongoing disruption of navigation in the Hormuz Strait has increased the uncertainty of energy supply for some Asian countries that heavily rely on oil and natural gas imports. Recently, South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia have implemented measures to address this issue by increasing coal usage and production. In South Korea, the government has decided to strictly enforce odd-even license plate restriction measures for public sector vehicles, and has called for the private sector to participate actively as well. Additionally, the South Korean government has announced the cancellation of the limit of coal-fired power generation at 80% of installed capacity. Furthermore, to alleviate short-term energy supply pressure, countries like Thailand and Vietnam are currently increasing efforts to develop their domestic coal-fired power generation to reduce dependence on imported energy. The Indonesian government has recently decided to revise the annual coal production quota for 2026, planning to increase coal production and considering prioritizing domestically used coal over exports.