Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources: RI Spends USD 15 Billion in Energy from the US, Import Volume "Continues" - Sources Displaced

Bahlil explained that the USD 15 billion consisted of the purchase of finished fuel, LPG, and crude oil. (IST)

JAKARTA - The government is following up on the trade agreement signed by President Prabowo Subianto and President Donald Trump with a plan to spend around USD 15 billion on energy from the United States. Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia said this step was clearly stated in the agreement to maintain the balance of trade.

"In the agreement ... to provide a balance in our trade balance, we from the ESDM sector will spend approximately 15 billion USD," Bahlil told reporters in the United States, Friday, February 20, 2026.

Bahlil explained that the US $15 billion consisted of the purchase of finished fuel, LPG, and crude oil. However, he emphasized that the purchase from the US was not interpreted as an increase in imports. "It does not mean that we increase the import volume. However, we shift some of our import volume ... from several countries, including countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and several countries in Africa," he said.

He said Indonesia's LPG imports were quite large, "about 7 million tons per year," and supplies from the US would be increased. The purchase, said Bahlil, would pay attention to an economic mechanism that is "mutually beneficial" for both parties.

Bahlil stated that after the finalization of the agreement was completed in the next 90 days, the execution would immediately take place. "After the finalization in the next 90 days is completed, we will immediately start the execution phase," he said.

In the critical mineral sector, Bahlil emphasized that the government opened investment space while still respecting Indonesian rules, but not opening raw exports. "It doesn't mean we open raw material exports. No... after purification, the results can be exported," he said.