TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Director of state-owned gas and oil firm Pertamina, Nicke Widyawati, underlined that the Plumpang oil depot in North Jakarta is unlikely to be closed in the near future. She said the terminal plays a vital role so its sudden closure will cause bigger problems.

“We can't just close it. If it is shut down, the problems can become extraordinary,” said Nicke in a hearing with Commission VII of the House of Representatives (DPR) at the Parliament Complex on Thursday, March 16.

The request to close the Plumpang Depot emerged after the fatal fire incident on Friday, March 3. The fuel pipe in the depot complex caught fire which spread to residents' houses on Jalan Tanah Merah Bawah, Rawa Badak Selatan Village, Koja District, North Jakarta.

Nicke explained that the depot could not be closed immediately because it is a supplier of 15 percent of the entire national stock of gas. The terminal is also a fuel distributor for 19 regencies and cities, as well as an LPG distributor for 22 regencies and cities.

“We can't possibly close or move the Plumpang depot right now,” Nicke emphasized.

Regarding the dilemma between relocating residents and relocating the Plumpang depot, she confirmed that both must be carried out but on a different schedule.

Previously, the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Ministry decided to relocate the Pertamina Plumpang depot to land owned by state-owned port operators PT Pelabuhan Indonesia or Pelindo in the aftermath of the fire incident.

Erick Thohir claimed the ministry had coordinated it with Pelindo, and that the land will be ready for construction at the end of 2024. The construction is predicted to take two to 2.5 years.

RIANI SANUSI PUTRI

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