Bahlil Conducts Study Regarding Government Plans To Increase LPG Export Volume From US

JAKARTA - Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia revealed that his party is currently calculating President Prabowo's plan to increase the volume of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports from the United States.

This step is the government's way of doing business related to the reciprocal or reciprocal tariff set by American President Donald Trump to Indonesia by 32 percent. The U.S. trade balance surplus against Indonesia reached 17 billion US dollars.

"That several strategic steps will be taken regarding the condition of Indonesia's trade balance surplus against America, so we are ordered by the President to see what potentials we can buy from America," Bahlil told the media crew at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Building, Wednesday, April 9.

Specifically for the ESDM sector, said Bahlil, Indonesia is actually still importing LPG from the United States by 54 percent of the total impo made by Indonesia.

"We know that our oil imports are quite large. Well, this is what we are exercise to later become one of the commodities we can buy in America," he continued.

Bahlil said, so far Indonesia has imported a lot from several countries such as Singapore, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.

Despite increasing the volume of imports from America, Bahlil ensured that imports from other countries would not be stopped, but would only reduce volume.

Even so, he emphasized that the government is still calculating, including considering aspects of the economy and the geographical side.

"For example, LPG buys it from America. The logic should be more expensive because of transportation, right? But the proof is that LPG prices from America are the same as those from Middle East. So, I think there is a way for us to calculate in business, the important thing is that the products received in our country are at competitive prices," said Bahlil.