Ex-NMP asks if it's a coincidence that Indonesia is now considering ending gas export renewals to Singapore
SINGAPORE: On social media on Thursday (Oct 22), former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng had a one-word comment after posting a screenshot from a report from the Indonesian oil, mining, and energy news site Petromindo about how Indonesia is now considering ending gas export renewals to Singapore in light of its domestic shortages.
“Coincidence?” Mr Cheng asked in the caption.
Indonesia is currently the source for as much as a quarter of Singapore's total natural gas supply and, in 2025, delivered 3.22 million tonnes to the city-state, according to reporting from The Straits Times. By the end of 2028, Singapore’s contracts with Indonesia for natural gas imports are set to expire.
On Oct 21, Indonesia’s Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia spoke on the possibility of the country evaluating its energy exports, particularly natural gas, to make sure that its domestic needs are met.
His remarks came on the same day that President Prabowo Subianto had said Indonesia would make survival a priority.
Mr Bahlil said that in following the President’s lead into “concrete programmes,” he is “considering not renewing gas export contracts with neighbouring countries.”
He also mentioned he would assess contracts with countries that are "uncooperative and disrespectful.”
“So, if other countries want a different view of us, be careful,” the minister warned.
While he did not name Singapore specifically, the city-state is mentioned in the Petromindo report, perhaps because it is a major Indonesian gas customer as well as a neighbouring country.
However, the possibility of Indonesia not renewing its energy contracts with other countries to prioritise domestic usage is not new, and Singapore has been diversifying its energy sources over the years in order to ensure sufficient supply for its own needs.
Indonesia had already said in 2020 that it planned to halt its supply of gas to Singapore by 2023. However, in 2022, Jakarta announced it would extend Singapore’s contract to 2028, albeit at lower volumes.
In September 2025, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong said in Parliament that while Indonesia is one of the main sources of natural gas imports for Singapore, due to growing domestic demand, how much supply Indonesia would be able to export would be affected. Nevertheless, Singapore’s existing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), which stores gas imported from different countries, accounts for almost 60% of Singapore's total natural gas supplies. A second LNG terminal to increase LNG import capacity is being built and is expected to be operational by the end of the decade. Singapore is also diversifying its energy mix, he added. /TISG
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