Bahlil Responds to Rumours of 10 Percent Increase in Non-Subsidised Fuel Prices from 1 April 2026 at 00:00

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, has spoken out regarding rumours of a 10 percent increase in the price of non-subsidised fuel oil (BBM) effective from 1 April 2026 at 00:00. “The 2022 Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation has established two formulations for BBM pricing. One for industrial BBM and one for non-industrial. For industrial BBM, it adjusts based on market prices even without announcement,” Bahlil stated in a video from the Presidential Secretariat on Monday (30/3/2026). Bahlil explained that for industrial BBM specifically, the price will definitely follow market rates, whether announced or not. The industrial BBM he referred to includes fuels like RON 95 and RON 98 petrol, which are typically purchased by affluent individuals. “And as long as they want to travel a lot, as long as there is money to pay, go ahead. The state’s duty is to provide it; they pay for it. The state has no obligation at all,” Bahlil added. Fuel oil (BBM) prices in Indonesia are predicted to rise by 10 percent. The price change is set to occur from 1 April 2026 at 00:00 WIB. The BBM types experiencing the price increase are non-subsidised varieties, which follow developments in the global oil market due to unrest in the Middle East. “The increase in non-subsidised BBM prices is seen as a logical consequence because the pricing scheme follows international market prices,” explained economist from Universitas Airlangga (Unair), Wisnu Wibowo, on Monday (30/3/2026). “I predict the non-subsidised BBM increase will still be below 10 percent, around 5 to 10 percent,” he clarified. According to him, the benchmarks are the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS) and Argus, which routinely monitor global oil price developments. If global oil prices rise, retail prices are also affected. Meanwhile, current non-subsidised BBM prices in Indonesia still refer to the Pertamina Patra Niaga provisions as of 1 March 2026. Pertamax is Rp12,300 per litre, Pertamax Green (RON 95) Rp12,900, and Pertamax Turbo Rp13,100 per litre. For non-subsidised diesel, Dexlite is Rp14,200 per litre and Pertamina Dex Rp14,500 per litre. For subsidised BBM, Pertalite is Rp10,000 per litre and diesel Rp6,800 per litre.