Jakarta. Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has confirmed that private downstream oil companies and operators of non-state fuel stations are once again allowed to import fuel, easing supply pressures that triggered shortages late last year.

Director General of Oil and Gas Laode Sulaeman said the import permit is now effective, following the exhaustion of annual fuel import quotas by private fuel retailers in the second half of 2025.

“Imports are allowed. They can start now,” Laode said briefly on Monday after a meeting at the Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BPH Migas) office in Jakarta.

Laode declined to disclose the exact size of the approved import quota but said the ministry has increased the quota by 10 percent.

Several private fuel stations, including Shell, BP, Vivo, and ExxonMobil, experienced fuel shortages from late August 2025, as demand surged and their annual import quotas were used up earlier than expected.

The ministry expects the renewed import permits, combined with additional quota allocations this year, to help normalize fuel stocks and availability at private fuel stations.

As previously reported, private fuel retailers faced dwindling supplies in the second half of 2025 amid rising consumer demand. However, they were unable to import additional fuel at the time because their annual import quotas had been fully exhausted.

As a temporary measure, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry encouraged private operators to secure fuel supplies through procurement partnerships with Pertamina.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia had earlier warned private fuel station operators to comply with state regulations, including rules governing fuel import quotas.

Bahlil said the government had calculated import quotas for companies deemed compliant with existing regulations but declined to specify which firms were considered non-compliant when asked for further details.