TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry still cannot implement the one-price fuel policy per January 1st as planned, citing time constraints.
The government said it takes a long time to build new fuel distributors—especially in remote areas.
"The policy is being implemented in stages, as we look for the highest price for an ample volume so that the policy can provide more benefits," the ministry's director for downstream oil and gas business development Setyorini Tri Hutami, told Tempo on January 2.
The ministry has accepted Pertamina's suggestion to build 22 mini gas stations in remote areas this year, including in Mentawai, West Sumatera Barat, to West Papua.
The one price fuel policy is governed by Energy Minister's Regulation No.36/ 2016. Appointed entities are mandated to build gas stations for Premium gasoline and Solar diesel types of fuel, with volumes adjusted to the need of each region the gas station is located in. The Energy Ministry is authorized to determine the location and fuel price for each entity, with frequent evaluations.
According to Setyorini, the government and Pertamina intensively discuss the construction of supporting infrastructure and facilities.
"Pertamina surveys every location where the facilities will be built. We evaluate every three months," he said.
Afandi, Pertamina's VP for fuel marketing and retail, said gas station construction takes six months each. Another time-stalling factor is the licensing process, which is why Pertamina is asking regional governments to help speed up the process.
As of the end of 2016, Pertamina has expanded its fuel distribution to five areas, Papua, West Papua, Karimunjawa Islands, Krayan, North Kalimantan, and Bengkulu's Enggano Island. In Papua, Pertamina has to spend an additional Rp800 billion every year for transportation cost.
In border areas, Pertamina applies a supply swap system for efficiency reasons, collaborating with Petronas.
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