Indonesia reduces natural gas deliveries to Singapore to secure domestic power supply

Indonesia cut exports of natural gas to Singapore on Saturday to prioritise domestic demand, an official said, with the two countries at loggerheads over regional air pollution emanating from wildfires on the vast archipelago. The head of SKK Migas, a state agency supervising the oil and gas sector, said Indonesia would cut a total of 31 million standard cubic feet per day from its supply to Singapore. Fifteen million standard cubic feet per day was being cut from Natuna in Indonesia’s Riau...

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Oct 24, 2026, 11:14 UTC

Natural gas terminal and pipelines shrouded in thick wildfire haze under a dim sky. — REAL NEWS HUB

Indonesia has reduced its cross-border deliveries of natural gas to neighboring Singapore, citing the need to safeguard domestic fuel reserves for electricity generation. The reduction takes place against a backdrop of diplomatic friction over cross-border smoke pollution caused by blazes burning across the Indonesian archipelago.

Djoko Siswanto, who heads the Indonesian upstream oil and gas regulatory body SKK Migas, confirmed the supply adjustments in a statement. Under the curbs, overall outbound shipments to Singapore are falling by 31 million standard cubic feet each day.

The cutbacks are being drawn from two key production zones. Authorities are withholding 15 million standard cubic feet per day from the Natuna facilities located in the Riau Islands region. An additional 16 million standard cubic feet per day is being withheld from fields on the island of Sumatra.

According to Siswanto, the primary objective behind the decision is to protect and maintain the reliability of domestic power networks by ensuring local power stations have sufficient fuel.

The energy curbs coincide with rising regional tensions regarding severe air pollution generated by forest and land fires in Sumatra and Borneo. Smoke from these blazes regularly drifts across international borders, sparking environmental and public health concerns in neighboring states. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto recently criticized foreign nations that voice insults directed at his country concerning the ongoing haze problems, though he stopped short of identifying any specific governments in his remarks.

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