Jakarta. Pertamina Patra Niaga, the trading subsidiary of the state-run energy firm, revealed that the base fuel meant for private retailers had arrived in Jakarta.

Private-owned gas stations in Indonesia are witnessing shortages. The government is urging these companies to import base fuel, without mixtures of additives, from Pertamina to meet the growing demand. According to Pertamina Patra Niaga’s acting corporate secretary Roberth MV Dumatubun, the company has asked private companies to submit data that details how much fuel they need.

 “We hope that private companies can collaborate in good faith, while still respecting the regulations and compliance aspects applicable to state-owned enterprises,” Roberth was quoted as saying in a press statement on Thursday.

The partnership will also make sure that the pricing mechanism remains transparent. They will also appoint independent joint surveyors to ensure the quality of the distributed products. 

Pertamina Patra Niaga revealed that they had met private retailers such as Vivo, BP-AKR, Shell, and ExxonMobil regarding the base fuel purchase. Earlier this week, Deputy Energy Minister Yuliot Tanjung told reporters that Shell and BP-AKR had already submitted the data on how much imported fuel they needed to Pertamina. However, the government official underlined that it was a “business-to-business deal”, citing that it would be out-of-bounds to the ministry if they failed to reach an agreement.

“But if they do not strike a deal, we will step in to evaluate what causes the negotiation to fail,” Yuliot said, as reported by the state news agency Antara.

These base fuels should also be available at private gas stations within a week, according to Yuliot. Local media reports revealed that BP-AKR’s president director Vanda Laura said Wednesday evening that they were still coordinating with Pertamina on the base fuel purchase. She, however, did not say what had hampered the negotiation process.

The fuel shortages have caught Indonesian business competition watchdog KPPU as they feared it could further fuel Pertamina's already unfair market dominance.

Private retailers have already got a 10 percent bigger import quota in 2025 versus last year, but the supplies have nearly run out before the year ends amidst growing demand. The extra quota is equivalent to between 7,000 and 44,000 kiloliters. The additional quota that Pertamina Patra Niaga gets is fourteen times larger, reaching a whopping 613,000 kiloliters. Estimates showed that Pertamina made up 92.5 percent of Indonesia's unsubsidized fuel market. Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has also insisted that the private firms should adopt the “single-door system” via Pertamina if they wish to procure more fuel.

“The policy has caused consumers to have fewer choices in the market, while also disrupting economic activities,” KPPU’s spokesperson Deswin Nur said.

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