'Keep calm and carry on': Tan See Leng says Indonesia gas cut unlikely to affect electricity prices for now

Indonesia's cutting of exports of natural gas to Singapore is not expected to affect electricity prices in the short term, Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Tan See Leng said on Sunday (Oct 25).

Dr Tan was speaking with the media after the People's Action Party (PAP) Awards and Conference 2026 .

He explained that Singapore uses about a trillion billion British thermal units per day (BBTUD) for power generation — in total, the country takes about 1.35 trillion BBTUD.

Comparatively, the cut by Indonesia will result in a reduction of 17 billion BBTUD, or less than two per cent of Singapore's needs.

"In the short term, the prices would not really be affected that much," Dr Tan said.

"In fact, if anything at all, we should be looking at the world prices because a lot of our gas... is actually pegged to the movement of some of the key global index itself."

Enough replacement gas available from other sources: Dr Tan

This comes as Indonesia begins cutting natural gas exports to Singapore , according to a statement by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) on Saturday.

Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on Wednesday that the country would be reviewing energy export agreements to prioritise domestic demand, adding a day later that he will be evaluating energy exports with countries deemed "uncooperative and disrespectful".

Dr Tan continued: "So I want to reassure and assure all Singaporeans that we have sufficient gas supply to meet our demand... we have sufficient replacement gas from other sources, and this includes liquefied natural gas (LNG)."

Energy security is critical to Singapore, thus the country has multiple layers of defence in place including the diversification of natural sources of natural gas from around the world.

"I would like to urge all of our fellow Singaporeans, keep calm and carry on," he confidently stated.

"We have dealt seamlessly with such reductions in the past without any incident, and the Government will continue to ensure the reliability and the resilience of Singapore's energy supply."

Commercial contracts on natural gas

Dr Tan also highlighted the commercial contracts in place between Singapore's gas importer, Gas Supply Private Limited (GSPL) and Indonesian suppliers.

"We expect the contracts to be honoured. GSPL will engage its suppliers to determine if there is a breach of contract, and if so, to pursue the commercial remedies which are provided for in the contracts."

His perspectives were echoed in an earlier speech by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who also pointed out the commercial contracts pertaining to natural gas.

"We expect all parties to honour their commitments, and Singapore's gas importer will take the necessary steps to protect its rights and interests under these contracts," he said.

Singapore has also been preparing for situations like these, investing in liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals to import natural gas from different countries without relying on pipelines.

Simultaneously, the Government is also looking beyond natural gas and has been studying the potential of nuclear energy, PM Wong also said.

"Understandably, there are concerns about the safety of nuclear power in a small and densely populated country like Singapore," he stated. "We take the concerns very seriously.

"Safety must come first, but we should not rule out an option simply because it is difficult or controversial. We must assess the risks and trade-offs carefully, engage Singaporeans, and eventually make the right decision to secure our energy future."

khooyihang@asiaone.com

能源、贸易和工业部长陈思龙（Tan See Leng）周日（10月25日）表示，印尼削减对新加坡的天然气出口预计不会在短期内影响电价。

陈医生在人民行动党 (PAP) 2026 年颁奖典礼暨大会后接受媒体采访。

他解释说，新加坡每天大约使用 1 万亿英热单位 (BBTUD) 进行发电——该国总共消耗约 1.35 万亿英热单位 (BBTUD)。

相比之下，印尼的减产将导致新加坡减少 170 亿 BBTUD，不到新加坡需求的 2%。

“短期内，价格不会受到太大影响，”谭博士说。

“事实上，如果一定要关注什么的话，我们应该关注的是世界价格，因为我们的很多天然气价格……实际上与一些关键的全球指数的走势挂钩。”

谭医生：其他来源有足够的替代气体。

据新加坡能源市场管理局（EMA）周六发布的一份声明称，印尼已开始削减对新加坡的天然气出口。

印尼能源和矿产资源部长巴赫利尔·拉哈达利亚周三表示，该国将审查能源出口协议，优先考虑国内需求。一天后，他又补充说，他将评估与那些被认为“不合作和不尊重”的国家的能源出口。

陈医生继续说道：“所以我想向所有新加坡人保证，我们有足够的天然气供应来满足我们的需求……我们有足够的替代天然气来自其他来源，其中包括液化天然气（LNG）。”

能源安全对新加坡至关重要，因此该国采取了多层次的防御措施，包括从世界各地获取多元化的天然气资源。

“我想呼吁所有新加坡同胞保持冷静，继续前行，”他自信地说道。

“过去我们曾顺利应对过此类减产，未发生任何事故，政府将继续确保新加坡能源供应的可靠性和韧性。”

天然气商业合同

陈博士还重点介绍了新加坡天然气进口商 Gas Supply Private Limited (GSPL) 与印尼供应商之间签订的商业合同。

“我们希望合同得到履行。GSPL将与供应商接洽，以确定是否存在违约行为，如果存在违约行为，将采取合同中规定的商业补救措施。”

他的观点与总理黄循财早前的讲话不谋而合，黄循财也指出了与天然气相关的商业合同。

他说：“我们希望各方都能履行承诺，新加坡天然气进口商将采取必要措施，保护其在这些合同下的权利和利益。”

新加坡也一直在为类似情况做准备，投资建设液化天然气（LNG）接收站，以便从不同国家进口天然气，而无需依赖管道。

黄循财总理还表示，与此同时，政府也在关注天然气以外的能源，并一直在研究核能的潜力。

他表示：“可以理解，像新加坡这样的小国人口稠密，人们对核电安全存在担忧。我们非常重视这些担忧。”

“安全必须放在首位，但我们不应仅仅因为某个方案困难或有争议就将其排除在外。我们必须认真评估风险和权衡利弊，与新加坡民众沟通，最终做出正确的决定，以确保我们的能源未来。”

khooyihang@asiaone.com