Bahlil's Efforts to Find Alternatives to LPG Imports, Working Non-Stop

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has admitted to continuously seeking alternative measures to replace imports of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG or elpiji) in order to meet domestic needs.

“I also reported (to President Prabowo Subianto) that for LPG, we are racking our brains continuously. Almost every night we do not rest; we are studying the sources of LPG,” Bahlil said at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Monday (27/4/2026).

Bahlil explained that domestic elpiji consumption reaches 8.6 million tonnes per year.

“We know that our elpiji consumption is 8.6 million tonnes per year, and out of that 8.6 million, only around 1.6 to 1.7 million is produced domestically. The rest, around 7 million, we import. And this has been the case since the conversion from kerosene to elpiji,” Bahlil revealed.

Bahlil continued that one of the problems related to elpiji production in the industry is the limited availability of raw materials.

“One of the problems we face in Indonesia as to why we cannot build an elpiji industry is that the raw material for elpiji is C3 and C4. And our production of that is not very much,” he said.

Meanwhile, another alternative concerns the plan to produce Compressed Natural Gas or CNG.

“Now it is still under discussion, as I reported earlier, that we are making CNG. But this is still under discussion; I must finalise it,” Bahlil said.

“And this is one of the best alternatives for us to push for energy independence in the elpiji sector that we can achieve. I think that is something that needs to be reported to my colleagues,” he added.