Jakarta. The Indonesian government is testing the use of 3-kilogram compressed natural gas, or CNG, cylinders as a potential alternative to subsidized liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on Monday.

The government is currently conducting trials in China, where the cylinders are manufactured, as well as in Indonesia.

“We are conducting trials in two locations -- one in China because the factory is located there, and the second will be in Indonesia,” Bahlil said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta.

According to Bahlil, larger CNG cylinders of 12 kilograms and 20 kilograms are already widely used by businesses such as hotels and restaurants.

The government is now focusing on evaluating the feasibility of smaller 3-kilogram CNG cylinders intended for household use.

Bahlil said the smaller canisters require special testing because they operate under very high pressure, reaching around 250 bar.

The government wants to ensure all safety requirements are fully met before the product is introduced for wider public use.

“The pressure level in 3-kilogram CNG cylinders is very high. So this must be tested thoroughly first, and only after passing the tests can we use it,” Bahlil said.

Indonesia plans to gradually shift household cooking fuel supplies away from imported LPG toward domestically sourced CNG, which is considered cheaper and less burdensome for the state budget.

The government currently subsidizes 3-kilogram LPG cylinders for households, while much of the supply still depends on imports.

Rising global oil and gas prices driven by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have increased fiscal pressure on Indonesia, which imports large volumes of LPG and sells it domestically at subsidized prices.