TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Pertamina corporate communication VP Fajriyah Usman on Sunday explained the main reason why the state-owned energy firm has yet lowered the prices of fuel it sells despite the relative freefall of global crude oil prices.

One of them is due to the claims that Pertamina has yet increased fuel prices since 2016. “Pertamina fuel prices have not been raised even as global oil prices soared,” said Usman.

Usman also said defends that the company has already dropped prices on some of its products such as Pertamax, Pertamax Turbo, Dexlite, and Pertamina Dex throughout January to February of 2020. The same was also done in 2019 she says.

Responding to the dropping value of crude oil amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, she asserts that the company continues to monitor the dynamics of later developments as the prices of global oil is marred by the pandemic that has caused irregularities across many industries and plans from OPEC to reduce production which is believed to “normalize” oil prices.

“OPEC plans to slash daily production by 9.7 million barrels throughout May - June this year. We are closely monitoring this,” said the Pertamina spokeswoman.

Previously on Wednesday, April 23, the former Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arcandra Tahar said in his Instagram account that the dropping global oil prices do not directly equate to fuel prices in retail levels.

CAESAR AKBAR