Indonesia Cuts Pipeline Gas Exports to Singapore by About 9 Percent From Saturday

Indonesia cut 31 million standard cubic feet per day from its pipeline natural gas exports to Singapore starting on Saturday, October 24, to divert the supply to the domestic power sector, upstream oil and gas regulator SKK Migas said.

The cut is 15 million standard cubic feet per day from supply from Natuna and another 16 million from Sumatra, SKK Migas chairman Djoko Siswanto told Reuters on Saturday. Most of Indonesia's gas exports to Singapore are delivered via pipeline, and the cuts account for around 9 percent of that supply.

Where the gas goes instead

The gas is being redirected to meet electricity needs in Batam, Bintan and Sumatra. The Sumatra portion of the cut comes from the Jambi Merang working area, CNBC Indonesia reported via Jawawa.

The redirection follows a power failure that hit close to home. Batam and several cities in Indonesia's Riau Islands province suffered a blackout that lasted 16 hours earlier this month, Reuters reported.

"In order to safeguard the reliability of domestic gas supplies for electricity generation, effective today, gas supplies previously destined for Singapore are being redirected for domestic use," Siswanto told Reuters.

How the cut was announced

Siswanto announced the reduction on Friday evening, October 23, on the sidelines of the 2026 Subroto Energy Awards ceremony in Jakarta, ANTARA reported via Jawawa. He said the reduction would begin on Saturday, with 15 from Natuna and 16 from Sumatra, and that no country other than Singapore would be affected because the pipeline only goes to Singapore.

Reuters reported the cut in effect on Saturday. No duration for the cut, temporary or permanent, was specified in the sources, and no Singapore government or buyer response was reported in them.

The wider policy behind the move

Energy minister Bahlil Lahadalia said earlier this week that he would prioritise natural resources use for domestic needs and review contracts to maintain energy security. He said Indonesia currently exports 30 percent of its gas production while the remaining 70 percent is consumed domestically, and that he would review that allocation to optimise domestic use, including feedstock for downstream petrochemical industries, ANTARA reported via Jawawa.

The cut lands on a buyer that depends heavily on gas. Singapore generates up to 95 percent of its electricity from natural gas, Reuters reported, and most of its Indonesian supply arrives by pipeline. For Indonesia, the stated reason is domestic electricity reliability in Batam, Bintan and Sumatra after a 16 hour blackout in the Riau Islands earlier in October.