SBY Reveals Reasons For Leaving OPEC While Still President

SBY (intermediate)

JAKARTA - The 6th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) revealed the reason why Indonesia left the oil exporting country organization or the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2008 when he was still President.

He explained that Indonesia's entry into this group was still an oil exporter, but there was a change when Indonesia imported oil.

"I remember in the past. I did decide on Indonesia to leave OPEC. Why? If the mindset is we are rich in oil. We can do anything. We are included in the OPEC The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Mindset When we become Net Importers It must be wrong," he said when speaking on the agenda Indonesia Energy Transition Dialogue (IETD), in Jakarta, October 6.

He added that after becoming an oil importer, Indonesia could no longer be a member of OPEC which is an oil exporter.

SBY also said that when he served as Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources in 1999, he had recorded oil lifting of up to 1.5 million barrels per day (BPH) but continued to decline from time to time.

"Even though when I was the Minister of Energy, we used to have oil production one day 1.5 million barrels per day, now there are only 600,000," he explained.

Furthermore, SBY also said that Indonesia's dependence on oil hampers the energy transition process. For this reason, Indonesia needs to make a transition to new and renewable energy.

"It's a waste of our thoughts to be rich in oil. It depends on the oil and so on. That's what hinders it," said Prabowo.

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) reported that oil production in June 2025 reached 608.1 MBOEPD or reached 100.5 percent of the target. The government's taget in the 2025 State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN) is 605 MBOEPD

Bahlil said, the average production in the first semester of 2025 reached 602.4 MBOPD or 99.5 percent of the target. According to him, from 2008 to 2024 the target of lifting from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has never reached the targeted figure.

"We see that January 599.6 to June has reached 608.1 BOPD. The target of the State Budget is 605. Why did this happen? Many people say that the state budget cannot be achieved," Bahlil said at the press conference on the Achievement of Performance in Semester I 2025 at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Building, Monday, August 11.

Meanwhile, natural gas production in June 2025 reached 1,146.4 MBOEPD or exceeded the target of 114 percent of the target with an average production in the first semester of 2025 reaching 1,199.7 MBOEPD.

Thus, the accumulation of oil and gas production in the first semester of 2025 reached 1,754.5 MBOEPD from the 2025 APBN target of 1,610 MBOEPD or with an average of 111.9 percent above the target.