Indonesia defends gas export cuts, says existing contracts have not been breached

JAKARTA — Indonesia has defended its gas export cuts amid concerns raised by Singapore, saying it would not be lectured on honouring contracts and that the reductions do not breach existing agreements.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on Oct 26 that Indonesia had reduced piped gas exports by 31 million standard cubic feet per day, or about 8 per cent of the 409.55 million supplied through pipelines from the Natuna Sea and mainland Sumatra.

“Do not lecture Indonesia about its commitment to honouring and respecting contracts,” he said, stressing that the cuts remained within the minimum limits allowed under existing agreements.

“The 31 million that we have reduced is still within the minimum contractual limits. If we had reduced supplies by 10 per cent, then we would have breached the contract.”

Bahlil said the reduction was due to maintenance-related shutdowns and domestic demand, adding that Indonesia remained committed to respecting contracts and regulations.

Asked whether the export reductions would be permanent, he did not give a definitive answer.

“I think the situation remains fluid,” he said.

Speaking to reporters later, he also raised the possibility of force majeure, a contractual provision that may excuse a party from fulfilling its obligations under certain circumstances, although he did not say Indonesia had invoked it.

“We respect contracts. But force majeure circumstances can arise, can’t they? Well, we’ll see,” he said.

Asked if there was a conflict, he said: “There is no problem at all. There is no conflict. Do you think there is a conflict? Is there one? No, there isn’t.”

His remarks came after Indonesia began cutting natural gas exports to Singapore on Oct 24, redirecting supplies to meet domestic electricity needs in Batam, Bintan and Sumatra.

Indonesia’s upstream oil and gas regulator SKK Migas announced cuts totalling 31 billion British thermal units per day (BBTUD). Singapore’s Energy Market Authority said that based on information from importers, the total reduction amounted to 17 BBTUD over 18 days, or less than 2 per cent of the Republic’s daily gas demand.

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Oct 25 that the Republic expected all parties to honour their contractual commitments.

“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 at a People’s Action Party conference.

Singapore’s Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Tan See Leng told reporters after the conference that the two countries maintained very good relations at the highest levels of government, particularly between President Prabowo Subianto and PM Wong. He acknowledged that Indonesia might have domestic supply needs and bottlenecks.

At the opening of Singapore International Energy Week on Oct 26, Tan warned that resource nationalism, which undermined existing contracts, could deter energy investments, as Singapore unveiled a five-year plan to expand its energy infrastructure to meet rising demand.

The cuts followed Bahlil’s warning on Oct 22 that Indonesia could review or halt energy exports to countries that failed to show mutual respect, although he did not identify any country.

“I will not hesitate to consider stopping exports to countries that do not respect Indonesia,” he said.

A day earlier, he had raised the possibility of not renewing gas export contracts with neighbouring countries to prioritise domestic needs.

Indonesia’s existing gas supply contracts with Singapore run until the end of 2028.

The reductions also come as the two countries negotiate plans for electricity exports from Indonesia to Singapore, with pricing differences yet to be resolved. Singapore has granted conditional licences to six Indonesian electricity import projects with a combined capacity of three gigawatts.

Bahlil also said Indonesia was considering building a nuclear power plant in the Riau Islands, potentially in Batam, as part of efforts to strengthen domestic energy security.

Asked by The Straits Times about potential sites, he said the government was studying several locations, including Halmahera, Kalimantan and Sumatra, with the Riau Islands among the options.

“We are doing feasibility studies,” he said.

He added that all options remained open, including developing nuclear plants at multiple locations.

“If it is best for the nation that we develop all those locations, we will do so,” he said.

He added that a proposed nuclear power plant in Halmahera was being studied in possible cooperation with Russia.

This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.

雅加达——尽管新加坡对此表示担忧，但印尼为其天然气出口削减措施进行了辩护，称不会接受关于履行合同的指责，并表示这些削减措施并未违反现有协议。

能源和矿产资源部长巴赫利尔·拉哈达利亚于 10 月 26 日表示，印尼已将管道天然气出口量减少了每天 3100 万标准立方英尺，约占通过管道从纳土纳海和苏门答腊岛输送的 4.0955 亿标准立方英尺天然气的 8%。

“不要对印尼履行和尊重合同的承诺指手画脚，”他强调，削减幅度仍在现有协议允许的最低限度内。

“我们减少的3100万仍然在合同规定的最低限额之内。如果我们减少10%的供应量，那就违反了合同。”

巴赫利尔表示，减产是由于维护相关的停产和国内需求，并补充说，印尼仍然致力于遵守合同和法规。

当被问及出口削减是否会是永久性的时，他没有给出明确的答复。

“我认为局势仍然瞬息万变，”他说。

随后，他在接受记者采访时也提到了不可抗力的可能性。不可抗力是一项合同条款，在某些情况下可以免除一方履行其义务，但他没有说印尼已经援引了该条款。

“我们尊重合同。但不可抗力情况也可能发生，不是吗？嗯，我们走着瞧吧。”他说道。

当被问及是否存在冲突时，他回答说：“完全没有问题，没有冲突。你认为有冲突吗？有冲突吗？没有，没有。”

此前，印尼于 10 月 24 日开始削减对新加坡的天然气出口，并将供应转向满足巴淡岛、民丹岛和苏门答腊岛的国内电力需求。

印尼上游油气监管机构SKK Migas宣布，将减产总量削减310亿英热单位/日（BBTUD）。新加坡能源市场管理局表示，根据进口商提供的信息，18天内的总减产量为170亿英热单位/日，不到新加坡每日天然气需求的2%。

新加坡总理黄循财于10月25日表示，新加坡希望各方履行其合同义务。

“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，”他在人民行动党的一次会议上说。

新加坡能源、贸易及工业部长陈思龙在会后告诉记者，两国政府高层保持着非常良好的关系，特别是印尼总统普拉博沃·苏比安托和总理黄循财之间的密切合作。他承认印尼可能存在国内供应需求和瓶颈问题。

在 10 月 26 日新加坡国际能源周开幕式上，陈先生警告说，资源民族主义会破坏现有的合同，可能会阻碍能源投资。与此同时，新加坡公布了一项为期五年的计划，旨在扩大其能源基础设施以满足不断增长的需求。

此前，巴赫利尔于 10 月 22 日警告称，如果某些国家未能表现出相互尊重，印尼可能会重新审查或停止向这些国家出口能源，但他并未指明具体是哪些国家。

他说：“对于不尊重印度尼西亚的国家，我将毫不犹豫地考虑停止出口。”

前一天，他曾提出可能不再与邻国续签天然气出口合同，以优先满足国内需求。

印尼与新加坡现有的天然气供应合同有效期至2028年底。

此次减产正值印尼和新加坡就印尼向新加坡出口电力进行谈判之际，双方在价格上的分歧尚未解决。新加坡已向六个印尼电力进口项目发放了有条件许可证，这些项目的总装机容量为3吉瓦。

巴利尔还表示，印尼正在考虑在廖内群岛（可能在巴淡岛）建造一座核电站，以加强国内能源安全。

当《海峡时报》询问他有关潜在选址时，他表示政府正在研究几个地点，包括哈尔马赫拉岛、加里曼丹岛和苏门答腊岛，廖内群岛也是备选方案之一。

他说：“我们正在进行可行性研究。”

他还补充说，所有选项仍然开放，包括在多个地点建设核电站。

他说：“如果开发所有这些地方对国家最有利，我们就会这样做。”

他还补充说，正在研究在哈尔马赫拉岛建设一座拟建核电站的可能性，并可能与俄罗斯合作。

本文最初发表于《海峡时报》。转载需获得许可。