Finance Minister Clarifies Indonesia's 20-Day Fuel Stock Position

Jakarta — Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has clarified misinformation regarding Indonesia’s fuel stock levels, which have been reported as sufficient for only 20 days of consumption.

According to Purbaya, maintaining a 20-day fuel stock does not indicate an emergency situation or imminent depletion. Rather, stock levels accumulate continuously as daily consumption occurs simultaneously with replenishment. When fuel stocks decline, PT Pertamina (the state oil company) automatically restocks according to available storage capacity.

“We maintain stocks of around 15 days or more at all times. A 20-day stock represents a surplus, not a shortage. Once stocks decrease, we can simply replenish them. This is a normal stock level, not an emergency situation,” Purbaya stated on Wednesday (11 September 2026).

He further explained the rationale for maintaining limited strategic reserves: “If we stockpiled fuel for a full year, it would be wasteful due to storage costs. Our strategy is already optimised.”

Purbaya emphasised that tensions between Iran and the United States-Israel coalition in the Middle East—a major global crude oil producing region—will not prompt the government to hastily increase fuel prices.

“There is currently no policy to change fuel subsidies or increase fuel prices. We are monitoring the situation first to assess future conditions,” the minister said.

Purbaya stressed that a comprehensive evaluation of fuel pricing will only be conducted after this month concludes. He cautioned against drawing premature conclusions from current crude oil prices trading above US$113 per barrel, as prices could easily decline in the near term.

“Our projections are based on annual averages. If crude is currently at US$100 per barrel and subsequently falls to US$50, the average could match previous levels. Therefore, we should not make hasty judgments based on short-term price movements,” Purbaya concluded.