Indonesia cuts Singapore gas exports amid haze dispute

Indonesia cut natural gas exports to Singapore on Saturday to prioritise domestic demand, SKK Migas chief Djoko Siswanto said, as Jakarta faced a regional dispute over haze from wildfires.

Djoko said Indonesia would reduce supplies to Singapore by 31 million standard cubic feet per day: 15 million from Natuna in the Riau islands and 16 million from Sumatra. He said the move was aimed at maintaining reliable domestic gas supplies for electricity and would be monitored daily.

Only Singapore is affected for now, Djoko said. US Energy Information Administration data put Indonesia's natural gas exports to Singapore at 145.3 billion cubic feet in 2024; the announced cut represents about eight percent of that total.

The Singapore government had not commented on the development. The decision follows comments by Indonesian Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia on Thursday that he was considering curbing gas exports to prioritise domestic consumption, while warning Jakarta would act against countries that "do not respect" Indonesia.

The dispute has unfolded as haze from wildfires on Borneo and Sumatra has pushed pollution levels to dangerous levels in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and East Timor. Nusantara Atlas, a deforestation monitor, said fires consumed more than 1.9 million hectares in the nine months to September, and ASEAN called a meeting over the crisis. Singapore has promised legal action against companies responsible for the fires.