Fuel and household gas supply remain secured during WFH, how the tidings of Pertamina with Aramco to develop oil refinery

Last updated on May 11th, 2021 at 09:05 am

During the coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic, the Indonesian government advises a work from home policy to most of company in the country, including Pertamina.

The state-owned oil and gas company has guaranteed that domestic supplies of fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) remain secure.

The company said its stock of diesel and gasoline, including the highly demanded Pertalite gasoline brand, could last more than 22 days, which was “ a safe level”, Pertamina Corporate Communication Vice President Fajriyah Usman said.

Pertamina has also secured supply for its LPG cooking canisters for 16 days, which was adequate for intensified household activities as many people remained at home following restrictions in public spaces to counter the spread of the novel coronavirus disease.

“We will continue to monitor rising demand for 3 kilogram LPG canisters”, she said on Friday.

Fajriyah also noted that daily use of subsidized gas canisters had risen 1 percent to 22,117 tons since many regions across the country implemented work from home policies.

Previously, last week Pertamina recorded a decrease in fuel consumption by eight percent during the coronavirus emergency period following the government’s policy on remote working or work from home (WFH).

Fajriyah Usman, ensured that the supply of fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is sufficient to meet people’s daily needs amid the crisis.

Since the implementation of the remote working program on March 16, 2020, the general fuel consumption has plummeted by eight percent to 123,740 kiloliters from that of normal daily average at 134,870 kiloliters.

Fajriyah further ensured the production, process, distribution, and marketing operations will run normally despite the emergency status of the coronavirus. Moreover, to support the policy, her side optimized the delivery service through its Call Center 135.

Continuation agreement with Saudi Aramco

Meanwhile, PT Pertamina may seek a new partner to develop an oil refinery in Cilacap District, Central Java if it fails to reach an agreement with Saudi Aramco by April-end.

Pertamina president director Nicke Widyawati said Pertamina will evaluate the schedule for the development of the Cilacap refinery, which is part of the national strategic program.

She stated that Pertamina would focus on continuing ongoing refinery projects, including those in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Tuban, East Java, and Balongan, West Java, as well as PT Trans Pacific Petrochemical Indotama.

Earlier, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir had said negotiations between Saudi Aramco and Pertamina on the valuation of the Cilacap refinery must keep the state’s interests in mind.

The negotiations are normal, but they must not harm the state’s interests, Erick remarked.