Indonesia cuts natural gas exports to Singapore as smog issue erupts in diplomatic disputes

(Central News Agency, Jakarta, comprehensive foreign news report on the 24th) Indonesian officials said that in order to prioritize domestic demand, they will reduce natural gas exports to Singapore starting today. The two countries are at loggerheads over regional air pollution caused by wildfires emanating from the vast archipelago.

Agence France-Presse reported that Indonesia will cut natural gas supply to Singapore by 31 million standard cubic feet per day, Djoko Siswanto, chairman of the Special Task Force for Upstream Oil and Gas (SKK Migas) of Indonesia's energy regulator, told AFP.

He pointed out that this move was "to maintain the stable supply of natural gas to domestic power plants" and said "we will continue to track subsequent developments every day."

Currently only Singapore is affected.

Indonesia is one of Singapore's main sources of natural gas, supplying 145.3 billion cubic feet in 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

This reduction accounts for about 8% of the total. The Singapore government has yet to comment.

Wildfires in Borneo and Sumatra have shrouded cities in neighboring countries with smog, sparking diplomatic discord between Indonesia and regional countries.

Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia warned on the 22nd that Jakarta will take action against countries that "disrespect Indonesia" and said that it is considering cutting natural gas exports to prioritize domestic demand.

President Prabowo Subianto rebuked some countries on the 21st that "like to insult" Indonesia, but did not name any specific countries.

The Southeast Asian giant has been trying to control forest fires for months. According to the deforestation monitoring group Nusantara Atlas, more than 1.9 million hectares of land were burned in the first nine months of this year.

Not only Indonesia, but also Malaysia, Singapore and Timor-Leste have seen their air pollution index soar to hazardous levels, prompting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to hold a crisis meeting.