Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources: Energy imports from outside the Middle East are still being negotiated

Jakarta - Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Yuliot Tanjung has stated that plans to redirect energy imports away from the Middle East region remain in the negotiation phase.

Following an inspection of the Padalarang Fuel Terminal in West Bandung, West Java on Monday, Yuliot identified the United States as one country being explored as a potential supplier through communication channels established within the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) framework between Indonesia and the United States.

“We will increase imports from America. From there we can see large oil operators such as ExxonMobil and Chevron operating globally. We hope they can supply our fuel requirements, both in the form of crude oil and refined petroleum products,” he said.

However, Yuliot clarified that energy import plans remain under negotiation with no agreement yet reached with the United States or other prospective supplier countries.

“Not yet. Currently we are still in the negotiation completion phase, including determining which countries will be the suppliers,” he stated.

According to him, imports from outside the Middle East region serve as a government option to maintain energy supply after global supplies were disrupted due to geopolitical tensions in the region.

He noted that approximately 20 per cent of the country’s domestic fuel requirements are sourced from Saudi Arabia through the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently affected by conflicts involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

The government has begun redirecting a portion of crude oil imports from the Middle East to the United States and other countries. This step was taken to safeguard national energy security amid global uncertainty.

Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia previously stated that Indonesia imports crude oil from the Middle East at a proportion of 20–25 per cent of total imports, with the remainder sourced from Angola, the United States and Brazil.

Meanwhile, refined petroleum products are imported from Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and Singapore.