Government Targets Completion of 3 kg CNG Cylinder Trial by July

Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister Bahlil Lahadalia is targeting the completion of trials for a 3-kilogram Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) cylinder around July to August 2026. “The third phase of testing is currently underway. God willing, we hope to complete it by this July or August,” Bahlil said after inaugurating the Mini LNG Plant of PT Sumber Aneka Gas in Tuban, East Java, on Thursday (25/6). CNG is not a new technology, having been used in the hotel, restaurant, and café (horeka) sectors, as well as in the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. However, its utilisation has so far been limited to large-capacity cylinders above 10 to 20 kilograms. Indonesia is currently conducting trials for 3-kilogram CNG cylinders in both China and Indonesia. These trials are being carried out to develop small-sized CNG cylinders equivalent to 3 kg LPG cylinders. According to the minister, the main challenge in the trial is the technical aspect, as CNG gas pressure is around 200 to 250 bar, significantly higher compared to LPG, which has a pressure in the range of 5 to 10 bar. “Once the cylinder trial is complete, we can then push for mass adoption in several feasible locations,” Bahlil stated. He said the government continues to study the use of CNG as an alternative to replace 3 kg LPG cylinders in order to reduce dependence on energy imports. Therefore, trials are ongoing. Bahlil noted that Indonesia’s average LPG consumption is more than 8.5 million metric tonnes per year. However, national LPG production remains at only 1.91 million metric tonnes, meaning approximately 7.47 million metric tonnes must be met through imports. CNG has the advantage that all its raw materials are available domestically, including abundant natural gas reserves. The government has also discovered new gas reserves in East Kalimantan that could potentially be allocated for domestic needs. Consequently, Bahlil is pushing to accelerate the adoption of CNG as an alternative to LPG to achieve energy independence and sovereignty.