Japan-Indonesia Oil Reserves Disparity Amid Iran War Explained

9 hours ago 7

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia spoke about the wide gap between Japan and Indonesia's energy resilience, especially in fuel reserves.

"Our energy resilience, our storage, is only available for a maximum of 25-26 days, no more," he said during a press conference on the latest developments in the Middle East and its implications for the energy and mineral resources sector, held at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources office in Jakarta on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, as quoted from Antara.

Indonesia lags behind Japan's 254-day fuel reserves, which Bahlil attributed to the limited oil fuel reserves owned by the country. "If we import as much as Japan, where are we going to store them? That's our issue," he said.

The Indonesian government, he said, is striving to build fuel storage with a capacity of more than three months, in line with international standards. The feasibility study for this endeavor is underway, according to the minister, and the construction is set for this year in Sumatra.

The current reserve for crude oil, oil fuel, and LNG is above the national minimum resilience standard, which is set at 23 days.

"I'm grateful to say that fuel oil, crude oil, and LNG for the Eid al-Fitr needs exceed the national minimum standard," said Bahlil.

Indonesia's energy resilience has attracted public discourse, especially after the war that broke out between Iran, Israel, and the United States.

Last Saturday, February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a series of attacks on several targets in Iran, including Tehran, damaging infrastructures and killing civilians. Iran then retaliated by launching missile attacks on Israel and US military facilities in the Gulf region.

The following day, on Sunday, March 1, 2026, US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the joint US-Israeli attack, as later confirmed by Iranian state media.

The Iranian media reported that the Strait of Hormuz had been "effectively" closed following the US-Israeli attacks, although there has been no official announcement regarding a formal blockade. The Strait of Hormuz handles about one-fifth of the world's oil trade and a large volume of liquefied natural gas exports from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. About 20 percent of global daily oil consumption, or around 20 million barrels, passes through the strait.

Read: Strait of Hormuz Oil Trade by Country: 5 Nations Most at Risk of Disruption

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