Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia's oil and gas imports have soared in double digits, according to the statistics bureau BPS, amid a year of Jakarta trying to diversify its foreign energy sources.
For September alone, Indonesian imports in the sector totaled $3.27 billion, up by 23.94% year-on-year (yoy).
"Between January and September, our oil and gas imports totaled $32.57 billion, marking a 37.35% growth from a year earlier. This marks quite a sharp hike," BPS deputy Ateng Hartono told reporters in Jakarta on Monday.
The agency reported that those inbound shipments included crude and petroleum products. The crude petroleum oil deals in the first nine months of 2026 were worth around $8.69 million. Petroleum products bought from foreign partners amounted to $23.89 million, BPS data showed.
The monthly deficit in oil and gas trade also shrunk from $2.54 billion in August to $2.31 billion the following month. Indonesia had never seen a surplus in oil commerce over the past year.
Ateng did not say from which country Indonesia had been buying its oils, although Indonesia is known to buy a over half of its gasoline from Singapore. The neighbors, however, recently got into a diplomatic spat fueled by Indonesia's persistent haze and its reductions of pipeline natural gas supplies.
Last week, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan traveled to Jakarta to iron out the differences. In a wrap-up press briefing, Balakrishnan said that both countries shared a commitment to the "sanctity of the [natural gas] contracts".
Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia repeatedly said that Indonesia was seeking to expand its list of sources, including by tapping other suppliers. He even planned on flying to India and China for alternatives to Singaporean gasoline, although the trip had not taken place to this day.
The pursuit of a more diversified sellers' list goes back to when the Iran war disrupted global oil supplies beginning in late February. Southeast Asia's biggest economy even clinched a Russian crude import deal, much to Europe's chagrin. Indonesia also has a $15 billion energy import agreement with the US who has been seeking to narrow its yawning trade deficit.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/business/indonesias-oil-import-soars-double-digit