Bahlil Explains Indonesia's Fuel Reserves Are Sufficient for 20 Days
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has explained the stock of fuel in the country. Bahlil had previously said Indonesia’s fuel reserves were sufficient for 20 days after the closure of the Hormuz Strait, one of the world’s fuel distribution routes, due to the war between Iran and the United States and Israel.
Bahlil said that reserves sufficient for only 20 days are not an emergency. According to him, the stock already meets the standard. ‘That is our capability, so the national standard is at least 20 to 21 days,’ Bahlil said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, 4 March 2026.
Max storage capacity for fuel oil in Indonesia is 25 days. ‘Why don’t we stock more than 25 days? because if there is anywhere we want to store it, where? The storage is not sufficient,’ said the Golkar Party chairman.
Currently, Bahlil said the government wants to increase fuel storage capacity in Indonesia. President Prabowo Subianto, he said, aims for storage capacity to be sufficient up to three months. ‘Now, under the guidance of President Prabowo, the government has ordered us to promptly build storage, so that our energy resilience is there,’ he noted.
On Monday, 2 March 2026, Bahlil assured that national fuel reserves remain sufficient amid the Middle East conflict. The Iran-Israel-US conflict has led to the Hormuz Strait being closed by Iranian authorities, affecting distribution routes.
Bahlil said Indonesia’s fuel reserves were still sufficient for nearly three weeks. ‘Still sufficient (for) 20 days,’ he said during a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Monday, 2 March 2026.
Bahlil said the Iran-Israel-US conflict has not yet affected energy subsidies at home. ‘As of today (fuel subsidies) there is no problem, but global prices will certainly adjust when geopolitical tensions in the Middle East escalate,’ he said.
Nevertheless, Bahlil highlighted the closure of the Hormuz Strait in Iran due to the conflict. He said that the closure of the fuel distribution route needs to be anticipated by the Indonesian government. ‘Because we still import (fuel) before Eid,’ he added.
The escalation of the war in the Middle East pushed global oil prices to the highest level since the start of the year on Tuesday, 3 March 2026. Oil prices remained above US$80 per barrel until market opening on Wednesday, 4 March 2026.
Quoting Trading Economics data, Brent crude futures price on 3 March 2026 reached US$84 per barrel, the highest since January. At market opening on 4 March 2026, oil prices opened at around US$82 per barrel, while WTI rose to about US$75 per barrel.
Kiwoom Indonesia Sekuritas stated that the escalation of the US-Israel vs Iran conflict again placed the global energy market on alert. ‘Threats to the Hormuz Strait, which accounts for about 20 per cent of world oil trade, directly triggered a spike in oil prices and increased the risk of global energy inflation,’ Kiwoom Sekuritas said in a written analysis on Wednesday, 4 March 2026.