Bahlil clarifies that a 20-day BBM stock is not an emergency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia clarified circulating information about the capacity of Indonesia’s national fuel stock, which has been described as sufficient for only 20 days, in the wake of the Middle East conflict. Ahead of a limited meeting at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, he said that the capacity is not a state of emergency, but reflects Indonesia’s storage capacity that has long existed. ‘Indeed, for a long time, the storage capacity of our BBM in Indonesia has not been more than 21 to 25 days,’ he said. According to Bahlil, the national minimum standard stands at 20–21 days, while the maximum is around 25 days. In a meeting with the National Energy Council (DEN), the average resilience of national fuel stock was recorded at around 22–23 days. He explained that the limitation of stock is not due to the government’s inability to supply, but because storage tank capacity is not yet sufficient to accommodate a larger reserve. ‘If we want to add more, where would we store it? The storage is indeed not sufficient,’ he said. Therefore, Bahlil urged that reporting on fuel stock should not create misunderstanding among the public. He said that the issue lies with storage infrastructure, not with the availability of energy supply. Furthermore, Bahlil said that the government, under the direction of President Prabowo Subianto, has been pursuing a faster construction of storage facilities to strengthen national energy resilience. The target is that future energy reserves could reach up to three months, in line with the minimum standards that have become global consensus. ‘The instruction from President Prabowo directs us to immediately build storage so that our energy resilience exists. How long should the storage be? God willing, the plan is up to three months,’ he said. This step is expected to form the foundation for strengthening Indonesia’s energy resilience system in facing geopolitical dynamics and global energy supply fluctuations.