Surabaya (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government will encourage the use of natural gas in households due to the limited number of consumers currently utilizing it, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia stated.
"The government will increase the use of natural gas in households. This was because only a small portion of people currently use natural gas in their kitchens," he remarked in a statement on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Lahadalia, along with officials from state-owned gas company, PT Pertamina Gas Negara (PGN), inspected the household gas network at the Grudo flat in Tegalsari, Surabaya.
During his visit, Lahadalia assured residents of the convenience and safety of using natural gas for cooking compared to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
On that occasion, the minister highlighted the safety and affordability of natural gas usage in households.
"The residents said their natural gas bill is only Rp20 thousand (US$1.17) per month. The efficiency reaches 40 percent from the price of LPG," he stated.
On the other hand, Lahadalia stated that natural gas coverage in households is still limited due to the suboptimal construction of the gas pipeline network.
"The government will push for this effort. We will intensify this (initiative of greater household natural gas adoption) to reduce LPG imports," he affirmed.
Meanwhile, PT Pertamina Gas Negara (PGN) Director Arief Setiawan Handoko stated that PGN's natural gas customers in East Java constitute only around six percent of the total market.
This limited coverage is attributed to the restricted installation of natural gas pipelines, which totaled only 8,970 kilometers in Central Java, East Java, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi, under the management of PGN SOR III as of February 2025.
"That consists of PGN pipes of 1,519 kilometers, APBN (State Budget) gas pipelines managed by PGN of 5,434 kilometers, and APBN gas pipelines managed by PTGN of 1,954 kilometers," Handoko explained.
