{"id":97271,"date":"2026-11-03T11:53:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T03:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=97271"},"modified":"2026-11-03T11:53:00","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T03:53:00","slug":"indonesia-will-not-export-electricity-to-singapore-unless-price-is-right-says-bahlil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=97271","title":{"rendered":"Indonesia will not export electricity to Singapore unless price is right, says Bahlil"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"text-primary article-summary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">JAKARTA \u2013 Indonesia will not export electricity to Singapore unless the two countries can agree on a suitable price, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on Nov 2, casting uncertainty over plans to supply up to 3.4 gigawatts (GW) of low-carbon electricity to the Republic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Both countries are working towards bringing the projects into operation by 2035, although pricing remains a key sticking point.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Speaking to reporters at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Nov 2, Bahlil said Indonesia remained open to exporting electricity, but would prioritise domestic needs if buyers were unwilling to meet its pricing terms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cAs long as the price is right, follow our prices, that is possible. But if the price is not right, we will prioritise domestic needs,\u201d he said, according to state news agency Antara.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Bahlil, who also serves as Coordinating Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition, said his ministry had already calculated the proposed export price. He did not disclose the price or indicate when exports could begin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The minister\u2019s latest comments come amid recent tensions between Singapore and Indonesia over transboundary haze and natural gas supplies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Earlier on Nov 2, Bahlil, <!-- -->who is also chairman of the Golkar Party,<!-- --> had said Indonesia would not export electricity in the near future because it still needed the power for domestic consumption.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cI have announced that Indonesia will not be able to export electricity in the near future. We still need electricity,\u201d he said at the Mineral and Coal Convention and Exhibition in Jakarta.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He also warned sovereign investment agency Danantara against yielding to lobbying over electricity export decisions, stressing that the authority to issue permits rested with his ministry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cI have told Danantara not to entertain lobbying. The permits are issued by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, not Danantara,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">His remarks come as Indonesia and Singapore work to implement a major bilateral energy initiative announced in June 2025, when Bahlil and Tan See Leng, then Singapore\u2019s Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science and Technology, signed three memorandums of understanding in Jakarta.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The agreements covered cross-border electricity trade, carbon capture and storage, and the development of a sustainable industrial zone in Indonesia\u2019s Riau Islands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">At the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/asia\/se-asia\/singapore-indonesia-put-strait-of-malacca-security-at-centre-of-ties?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">Singapore-Indonesia Leaders\u2019 Retreat in July 2026,<\/span><\/a> Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and President Prabowo Subianto reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating cross-border electricity trade, with Danantara designated by Jakarta to spearhead the initiative.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The two leaders also witnessed the exchange of agreements covering electricity offtake and transmission infrastructure, alongside a roadmap to advance cross-border electricity trade.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Singapore\u2019s Energy Market Authority had earlier granted conditional licences for 2GW of electricity imports from Indonesia and conditional approvals for another 1.4GW, bringing the total planned capacity to 3.4GW.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The proposed electricity trade would help Singapore reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, while attracting investment in renewable energy generation and supporting infrastructure in Indonesia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">In May 2026, Bahlil said Indonesia remained open to supplying electricity to Singapore, but stressed that the terms must be mutually beneficial.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cWe will also export to Singapore, but the price must be fair. As long as we have not reached a win-win arrangement, I think it is important to conduct a more thorough assessment,\u201d he said on May 11.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">During a visit to Jakarta on Oct 28, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said governments had a responsibility to secure essential supplies, including energy, for their populations, but stressed that meeting domestic needs and pursuing cross-border cooperation were not mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">He said cross-border energy contracts could help attract investment, expand infrastructure and lower costs through economies of scale.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cWorking together and looking after your own needs. It\u2019s not either or. It\u2019s not a binary,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Separately on Nov 2, Bahlil called for Indonesian natural resources, including minerals and liquefied natural gas (LNG), to be exported directly to destination countries rather than passing through intermediary nations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Speaking at the same mining convention, he argued that Indonesia should not allow others to benefit from trade involving its natural resources.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">\u201cWhy must we use another country? They get the taxes, they get the trade balance,\u201d he said. Although he did not explicitly name Singapore, Bahlil suggested that his audience would know which country he was referring to.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The remarks follow his accusations in late October that Singapore was reselling some of the LNG it purchased from Indonesia to other countries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Singapore\u2019s Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry clarified on Oct 30 that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/asia\/se-asia\/spore-says-lng-traded-by-local-firms-usually-shipped-directly-following-indonesian-ministers-remarks?ref=inline-article\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"gap-x-04 items-center inline text-primary-60 select-auto\" aria-label=\"link\" target=\"_blank\" data-testid=\"custom-link\"><span class=\"inline font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"typography-test-id\">LNG traded by Singapore-based companies usually moves directly from its source to the destination country,<\/span><\/a> without physically passing through Singapore.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The ministry said more than 50 Singapore-based companies buy, market and trade LNG sourced globally, including from Indonesia. It added that piped natural gas imported from Indonesia is used domestically and not exported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">The latest remarks also follow Indonesia\u2019s decision to reduce piped natural gas exports to Singapore from Oct 24 to prioritise domestic demand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-primary font-tertiary-body-baseline-regular\" data-testid=\"article-paragraph-annotation-test-id\">Singapore\u2019s Energy Market Authority said importers had informed it of a reduction of 17 billion British thermal units per day over 18 days, equivalent to less than 2 per cent of the Republic\u2019s daily gas demand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/asia\/se-asia\/indonesia-will-not-export-electricity-to-singapore-unless-price-is-right-says-bahlil\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JAKARTA \u2013 Indonesia will not export electricity to Singapore unless the two countries can agree on a suitable price, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":97272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=97271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/97272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=97271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=97271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=97271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}