Supply of gas back to normal<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The long lines of motorists waiting for gasoline
\nat stations across the capital began to ease on Wednesday
\nevening.<\/p>\n
Until midday, most gas stations in Greater Jakarta were out of
\nleaded fuel, locally known as premium, and unleaded gas, or
\npremix, forcing some stations to close temporarily.<\/p>\n
But business at most gas stations in the city gradually
\nreturned to normal by the evening.<\/p>\n
According to state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina, the
\nfuel supply for the capital was sufficient after repairs were
\nmade to the Balongan refinery in West Java.<\/p>\n
\"Since all the units at the Balongan refinery have resumed
\noperation, we can definitely guarantee a continuing fuel supply
\nto Jakarta,\" Pertamina spokesman Ramli Djaafar said in a media
\nstatement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
At about 8 p.m. only five cars were at the gas station near
\nCipto Mangunkusumo Hospital on Jl. Diponegoro, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Everything is okay now thanks to a fuel delivery from
\nPertamina which arrived here at about 3 p.m.,\" Reiko, an
\nemployee, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
A staff member from Pertamina promised to send out more trucks
\non Wednesday night, otherwise there could be problems again since
\nstock has run low, he added.<\/p>\n
Many gas stations, including those on Jl. Sudirman, Jl.
\nPejompongan and Jl. Hayam Wuruk, said their holding tanks were
\ndry earlier in the day.<\/p>\n
Asep Sumarna, a manager of the gas station on Jl. Hayam Wuruk,
\nsaid the supply of premium was finished by 11 p.m.<\/p>\n
\"We got fuel from Plumpang (Pertamina's depot in North
\nJakarta) at 5 a.m., but it was sold out within six hours.<\/p>\n
\"We don't know when the next supply will arrive,\" he said,
\nadding that there had been disturbances in fuel deliveries to his
\nstation over the past week.<\/p>\n
The fuel shortage in the morning caused motorists to find
\nother gas stations which were still selling leaded gas, resulting
\nin similar scenes of long lines from the previous day.<\/p>\n
At the Semanggi gas station on Jl. Sudirman, two police
\nofficers were directing the flow of traffic as vehicles were
\nlining up at the station from about 12 p.m.<\/p>\n
Since the station had run out of premium, motorists had to
\npurchase premix, which costs Rp 1,500. It is Rp 500 higher than
\nleaded fuel.<\/p>\n
\"I have only five liters left, therefore I have no other
\nchoice but to buy premix. Premium is finished here,\" said
\nSudarto, an employee at PT Angkawijaya, a company which services
\nair conditioners.<\/p>\n
Other gas stations, such as on Jl. Pejompongan and Jl.
\nSudirman, had also run out of Super TT fuel, which is Rp 1,600
\nper liter -- the most expensive among the three types -- in the
\nmorning.<\/p>\n
Most lines at gas stations, including the two stations near
\nthe Semanggi cloverleaf, the one on Jl. Pejompongan, Jl. K.S.
\nTubun and Jl. Gatot Subroto, returned to normal later in the
\nevening.<\/p>\n
Most gas station managers said fuel deliveries on Wednesday
\nwere better than previous days, however, orders were still
\nshorted.<\/p>\n
Murni, an attendant at the Petamburan station, said her gas
\nstation had received additional gasoline from Pertamina.<\/p>\n
\"But officials at Plumpang can't give any assurances that the
\nsupply will be normal,\" she said, adding the station might stay
\nopen 24 hours.<\/p>\n
\"However, we decided to close earlier because the boys are
\nexhausted. Usually we are open until 10 p.m.,\" she added.<\/p>\n
According to spokesman Ramli, the Balongan refinery has
\nundergone major repairs since June 20. It resumed operations
\nagain at 9:06 p.m. on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The refinery supplies about 80 percent of Jakarta's fuel
\ndemand.<\/p>\n
According to Pertamina, it could not explain why Jakarta's
\nfuel consumption average of 7,200 kiloliters a day soared over
\nthe past few days. The company recorded sales of 9,539 kiloliters
\non last Friday.<\/p>\n
As of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Pertamina had delivered 4,768
\nkiloliters of premium to gas stations in Jakarta and its
\nsurrounding area out of its order of 8,784 kiloliters.<\/p>\n
The firm stated its supply of 2,300 kiloliters of premix would
\nbe adequate to cover consumer demand in Jakarta for at least
\nthree days.<\/p>\n
Separately, Minister of Mines and Energy Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono said on Wednesday that Singapore would supply 400,000
\nbarrels of premium and Malaysia would send 50,000 barrels to
\nIndonesia by the end of July.<\/p>\n
Thailand, he said, had also promised to ship 600,000 barrels
\nof gasoline, 200,000 barrels of kerosene and 300,000 barrels of
\ndiesel oil.<\/p>\n
\"But since Thailand needs more time to operate its refinery,
\nnegotiations are still in process,\" he said following a Cabinet
\nmeeting.<\/p>\n
Bambang has recently returned from a trip to Singapore and
\nMalaysia to appeal for assistance in overcoming Indonesia's fuel
\nshortage.<\/p>\n
At about midday, dozens of gas station attendants went to
\nPlumpang to watch the work being done at the distribution center.<\/p>\n
\"The company (Pertamina) told the public through the media not
\nto worry about a fuel shortage, but our station was short of
\nfuel,\" said Barminson Purba, an attendant.<\/p>\n
Prasetyo, an attendant at the gas station on Jl. Lenteng Agung
\nin South Jakarta, said: \"Don't hide the fact that there is a
\nshortage of fuel. We are afraid people will burn our stations,
\naccusing us of stockpiling fuel.\" (asa\/bkm\/prb\/nvn\/08)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/supply-of-gas-back-to-normal-1447893297",
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