SINGAPORE: Indonesia began reducing natural gas exports to Singapore on Saturday (Oct 24), in order to divert more supplies to domestic electricity needs, the country’s upstream oil and gas regulator SKK Migas said in response to CNA’s queries.
The diversion involves 31 million standard cubic feet of gas a day, comprising 15 million from Natuna and 16 million from Sumatra.
SKK Migas said the gas from Natuna was being diverted to PLN Batam through the WNTS–Pulau Pemping–Batam pipeline. Supplies from Sumatra were being redirected through the TGI pipeline to meet electricity needs in Batam, Bintan and Sumatra.
The regulator said the move was intended to "safeguard the reliability of domestic gas supplies for electricity generation".
It cited Article 8, Paragraph 1 of Indonesia’s Oil and Gas Law as the basis for prioritising the use of natural gas for domestic needs, and said it would monitor developments daily.
Natural gas is used to generate about 95 per cent of Singapore's electricity.
CNA has also sent queries to Indonesia’s presidential palace but has yet to receive a response.
The move comes days after Energy and an Indonesian minister warned that Jakarta could review energy exports to countries that did not show it sufficient respect. SKK Migas’ response did not link the diversion to those remarks.
Singapore imports natural gas through pipelines from Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipped in from international suppliers.
In 2025, piped natural gas accounted for 43 per cent of Singapore's total gas imports, while LNG made up the remaining 57 per cent.
It remains unclear what proportion of Singapore's overall gas supply is affected by the reported reduction, or whether it will have any impact on electricity generation and prices.
CNA has reached out to Singapore's Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry.
INDONESIA HAD WARNED OF POSSIBLE EXPORT CURBS
Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition Bahlil Lahadalia warned on Thursday that Jakarta could stop exporting energy to countries that failed to treat it with respect.
"I will conduct an evaluation. I will not hesitate to consider stopping exports to countries that do not respect Indonesia," Mr Bahlil, who is also Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, said at an event in Jakarta.
He did not name any specific country.
A day earlier, Mr Bahlil had raised the possibility of not renewing gas export contracts with neighbouring countries, citing the need to prioritise Indonesia's domestic energy requirements.
The remarks followed President Prabowo Subianto's call for Indonesia to safeguard its natural resources and put national interests first.
About 30 per cent of Indonesia's natural gas production is currently exported, while the remaining 70 per cent is used domestically, according to Indonesian state news agency Antara.
Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong had warned in September last year that Indonesia's growing domestic demand for natural gas could affect how much it was able to export to other countries.
In a parliamentary reply, he said Singapore's existing gas import contracts with Indonesia were due to expire at the end of 2028.
Mr Gan, who is also Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Trade), stressed the importance of securing sufficient and diverse gas supplies, noting that no single country accounted for more than 30 per cent of Singapore's gas imports in 2024.
Singapore is also building a second LNG terminal, expected to be operational by the end of the decade, to increase its capacity to import gas from suppliers around the world.
The recent comments by Indonesian officials have also come amid heightened alert over transboundary haze, with Singapore stepping up scrutiny of companies potentially linked to fires in Indonesia.
Singapore has announced plans to establish a specialist panel to investigate companies that may have caused or contributed to the haze, while the National Environment Agency has issued notices to 20 companies in Singapore and Indonesia under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act.
Additional reporting by Kiki Siregar.