Government to expand household gas network in Aceh

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan said that the government will expand the household gas networks in Lhokseumawe, Aceh Province, by developing new gas pipeline for additional 2,000 households this year.

Jonan said in a statement issued Friday that between 2009 and 2016, gas piping for a total of 4,000 households in Aceh have been developed.

He said that the plan to expand the household gas networks in Aceh is in line with the direction of President Joko Widodo to allocate gas for households in gas-producing regions.

The government has been pushing for expansion of household gas networks across the country in a bid to provide cheaper source of energy and to replace the more expensive LPG, which in turn would help reduce the country?s LPG import.

Between 2009 and 2016, the state budget has financed the construction of gas piping for 185,991 households in 26 regencies/cities in 14 provinces.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak