Indonesia cuts gas to Singapore amid Borneo, Sumatra wildfire haze

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 island, and 16 million from Sumatra, SKK Migas chief Djoko Siswanto said in a statement.

He said the move was “to maintain the reliability of domestic gas supply for electricity”.

“We will continue to monitor developments on a daily basis,” he added.

Only Singapore is affected for now.

Indonesia is one of Singapore’s main sources of natural gas, providing it with 145.3 billion cubic feet in 2024, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration.

The cut represents about eight per cent of that total. The Singapore government has not commented on the development.

The move comes amid a diplomatic spat between Indonesia and countries in the region over haze from wildfires on Borneo and Sumatra islands choking cities in neighbouring states.

On Thursday, Indonesian energy minister Bahlil Lahadalia said he was mulling curbing gas exports to prioritise domestic consumption, while warning Jakarta would act against countries that “do not respect” Indonesia.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday berated “countries that like to insult” his nation over the haze crisis. He did not name specific countries.

The Southeast Asian giant has for months struggled to contain fires that deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas said have consumed more than 1.9 million hectares in the nine months to September.

The haze has sent air pollution levels surging to dangerous levels not only in Indonesia, but also in Malaysia, Singapore and East Timor, prompting Asean to call a meeting over the crisis.

Singapore has promised legal action against companies responsible for the fires.