ESDM: Shell Purchases Diesel from Pertamina

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has stated that Shell’s fuel stations are once again selling diesel because they are purchasing it from Pertamina. “That is a collaboration with Pertamina that we initiated and facilitated yesterday,” said the Director General of Oil and Gas (Dirjen Migas) of the Ministry of ESDM, Laode Sulaeman, when met at the Ministry of ESDM office in Jakarta on Wednesday. Shell’s fuel stations had experienced a shortage of fuel stocks since the beginning of 2026, while other private fuel stations had already begun selling fuel normally. Then, on 9 May 2026, Shell Indonesia’s management announced that diesel was available again at Shell stations after shortages since the beginning of 2026, priced at Rp30,890 per litre. “Alhamdulillah, now there is already a collaboration with Pertamina so they can start again,” said Laode. Meanwhile, for other private fuel stations such as bp and Vivo, Laode said he had facilitated meetings for purchasing diesel from Pertamina. “Actually, that’s the direction we’re heading. Not all yet, but it’s starting,” said Laode. In February 2026, the Ministry of ESDM stated that private fuel station management companies would use domestic diesel purchased from Pertamina starting in April 2026. There were points that Pertamina needed to prepare during the transition period, such as providing adequate loading ports, cargo adjusted to the volumes ordered by each company, and pure or base fuel diesel specifications tailored to the companies’ demands. These points were discussed in a meeting between Laode and the fuel station management companies as a mitigation step, so that in April, no crisis related to domestic diesel procurement would occur. The requirement to purchase diesel from Pertamina follows the Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) at Refinery Unit V in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. The Balikpapan RDMP enables the refinery to process up to 360,000 barrels per day. That capacity is equivalent to 22-25 percent or a quarter of national needs. Economically, the Balikpapan RDMP will have a significant impact on national energy independence, with savings on fuel imports of up to Rp68 trillion per year, and a contribution to the national GDP of Rp514 trillion. When asked about private fuel stations that will purchase diesel from Pertamina, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, confirmed it.