Bahlil's Subordinates Conduct Field Check on Fuel Supply at Balongan Refinery
The Director General of Oil and Gas at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Laode Sulaiman, has verified the readiness of the Balongan refinery to support the implementation of the Ramadan and Eid 2026 task force (RAFI). This confirmation followed his working visit to Pertamina’s refinery facility.
The visit was conducted to ensure stock resilience and smooth distribution of petroleum fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) during the Ramadan to Eid period in 2026, particularly for the West Java Regional area (RJBB).
Laode revealed that according to Pertamina’s report, the energy supply situation during the RAFI period is secure. Supplies of petroleum fuel, LPG, and crude oil are ensured to be available to meet public needs.
“The report we received from Pertamina indicates that the conditions for meeting our requirements—whether for petroleum fuel, LPG, or crude oil—are all well-prepared,” said Laode during a visit to the Balongan refinery in Indramayu, West Java, on Thursday (12 March 2026).
According to Laode, the government is also currently preparing anticipatory measures for the period after RAFI. This is being done to ensure energy availability remains secure despite increased demand during the Ramadan and Eid period.
He assessed that energy requirements for the RAFI period itself have been well-prepared, so the next focus is ensuring supplies after that period are also fulfilled.
During the RAFI period, Pertamina will also prepare additional services such as motorcyclists to assist fuel delivery, expansion of service posts, and various other additional facilities.
“As already reported, crude oil, petroleum fuel stocks, and LPG are all available, and the public should not panic about the current situation. We are also implementing innovations, including optimal utilisation of fuel according to requirements,” said Laode.
Based on historical data and projections for 9 March to 1 April 2026, in the West Java region, petrol demand is expected to increase by 9.6% due to increased private vehicle mobility during the exodus period. Similarly, avtur demand is estimated to rise marginally by 0.5%.
LPG demand is also estimated to increase by 2.86% due to household activities during Ramadan. Industrial fuel demand is estimated to increase by 7.9%. Meanwhile, diesel demand is estimated to decline by 27.3% due to operational restrictions on logistics vehicles during the exodus and return periods.
Refinery Unit (RU) VI Balongan has a refinery processing capacity of 150 MBSD (thousand barrels per day stream). Balongan refinery has a Nelson Complexity Index of 11.9, ranking it as the crude oil processing unit with the highest complexity in Indonesia. Total production from Balongan refinery yields petroleum coke (52%), petroleum fuel (26%), non-fuel products such as LPG, avtur, and propylene (12%), and others (9%).
Balongan refinery products will be distributed to the DKI and West Java regions (82%), other regions (12%), and decant oil exports to Singapore (6%). For the DKI and West Java regions, Balongan refinery output is allocated to the Integrated Terminal Balongan, Cikampek Fuel Terminal, and Integrated Terminal Jakarta (Plumpang).