Bahlil calculates potential increase in Pertalite consumption

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said the government is still calculating the potential increase in Pertalite consumption, which is projected to exceed the distribution quota in the 2026 state budget (APBN).

“We are still calculating how much the potential excess will be,” Bahlil said when met after a working meeting with Commission XII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday.

Bahlil explained that there has been a shift in consumers from Pertamax, a non-subsidised fuel, to Pertalite, a subsidised fuel, since the increase in Pertamax prices on 10 June 2026.

The price of Pertamax rose from Rp12,300 per litre to Rp16,250 per litre on 10 June, before falling to Rp15,950 per litre on 1 August 2026. This consumer shift is what Bahlil is currently calculating.

Nevertheless, on that occasion Bahlil reiterated the government’s commitment to keep the price of Pertalite at Rp10,000 per litre until the end of 2026.

“Whatever happens, I have said that the price of oil or subsidised fuel will not be increased until December 2026, while we continue to monitor global developments,” Bahlil said.

Meanwhile, for non-subsidised fuel prices, Bahlil said they will continue to follow world market prices.

The Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BPH Migas) recorded that Pertalite consumption rose by up to 12.92 percent in July 2026, exactly one month after the increase in the price of non-subsidised Pertamax fuel.

Head of BPH Migas Wahyudi Anas said the average distribution of Pertalite before the Pertamax price increase was 75,795 kilolitres (kl) per day. However, after the Pertamax price rose from Rp12,300 per litre to Rp16,250 per litre on 10 June 2026, there was a surge in the average distribution of Pertalite.

On 10 June 2026, Pertalite consumption was recorded at 82,760 kl per day, up 9.19 percent with a difference of 6,965 kl per day compared to the average Pertalite distribution before the Pertamax price increase.

Then, in July 2026, Pertalite consumption increased again, reaching 85,589 kl per day, up 12.92 percent with a difference of 9,794 kl per day compared to the average Pertalite distribution before the Pertamax price increase.

In the August period, Wahyudi said, there was a decline in Pertalite consumption compared to July. The average Pertalite distribution in August was around 84,368 kl per day, lower than in July.

“This decreased slightly because the Pertamax price was also corrected, from Rp16,250 per litre to Rp15,950 per litre. As a result, consumption of Pertalite also fell,” Wahyudi said.

Nevertheless, the average Pertalite consumption in August was still higher than in the period before Pertamax experienced a price increase.