Jakarta, June 29 -- Indonesia has lowered industrial liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices to US$13 per MMBtu to protect domestic manufacturers and prevent mass layoffs amid rising global energy costs, Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia announced Monday.

The emergency price cut, enacted following directives from President Prabowo Subianto, slashes the industrial LNG tariff from its previous market high of $20-$23 per MMBtu.

The policy directly addresses a supply crunch in western Java, where declining local gas production forced factories to import more expensive LNG from Papua, Sulawesi, and Kalimantan, incurring steep transportation and regasification costs.

"We believe ensuring job sustainability is part of the government's responsibilit...