Jakarta. Shell Indonesia, which runs the local operations of the British oil company, has denied closing all of its gas stations in the country.

Shell has been making headlines after Indonesian media reported the company would shut down its gas stations in the country. The Indonesian Oil and Gas Companies Association (Aspermigas) attributed the potential closure to the state-run Pertamina’s control over most of the domestic retail fuel networks. According to the state-run news agency Antara, Shell has dismissed the closure rumors.

“Shell Indonesia would like to announce that the reports of us closing all gas stations in Indonesia are not true,” Susi Hutapea, the company’s vice president for corporate relations, told Antara over the weekend.

Susi said that Shell was pretty much focused on its gas station operations, although she refused to comment more on whatever rumor that emerged in the market. She added: “We cannot comment on the speculations that arise in the market. Shell Indonesia will continue to focus on operating our gas stations for the sake of our customers.”

Shell currently has over 170 gas stations in Indonesia, including in the Greater Jakarta area and North Sumatra. The company has a lubricant facility in Marunda, Jakarta to support its downstream industry. Shell also has a fuel storage terminal in Gresik, East Java.

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