Fuel stock up, still below safe level
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
State oil and gas firm PT Pertamina found a little breathing room on Wednesday as pumps unloaded imported fuel from tankers, slightly increasing domestic fuel stockpiles to 18 days supply, from Monday's 17.5 days, but still below the safe 22-day reserve level.
Premium gasoline stocks rose to 14 days of reserves from a critical level of 12.7 days, while diesel fuel went up slightly from 14.5 days to 15 days, Pertamina's fuel division head Achmad Faisal said on Wednesday.
"There are three vessels in Semangka Bay (in Lampung) with some 1.8 million barrels of Premium and diesel fuels being unloaded," he said.
Some 200,000 barrels of Premium gasoline, imported from China, had also arrived in Jakarta, he said.
"When all of the fuel has been unloaded, the stocks will be enough for 18 days reserves (nationwide)," Faisal said. "Premium stocks in Jakarta are enough for seven days."
He did not provide details on other areas.
Motorists have been lining up in many gas stations in smaller cities in Java and other islands during the past few days after Pertamina's lack of cash flow prevented it from importing sufficient petroleum products into the country.
The fuel shortage and the continuing high international cost of oil has prompted Vice President Jusuf Kalla to announce that the government would soon draft a regulation to limit the public use of fuel and electricity.
He said with the current high public consumption of fuel, the government might have to increase allocations for fuel subsidies from the initial plan of some Rp 70 trillion (US$7.28 billion) to about Rp 110 trillion this year.
"The government can not afford to allocate more money for subsidies of fuel. Therefore, we will enforce limits on the use of fuel by issuing a special regulation," Kalla said at his office.
The regulation could include limits on the operation of energy-hungry air conditioners and restrictions on private car use to cut energy demand, as well as other cost-cutting measures adopted by countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Japan, he said.
Pertamina said that until May, Premium usage in the country had already exceeded its supply quota by 10 percent. "Diesel fuel has surpassed its quota by 4 percent," Faisal said.
When asked whether the government was likely to inject fresh capital into Pertamina to help revitalize the company, Kalla said that such a plan had never been considered, since the company would need some Rp 19 trillion to ensure its fuel stocks.
"There is no other way for Pertamina but to boost efficiency. The public should also start reducing their fuel and power consumption immediately," he said.
Not only motorists, but also State electricity firm PT PLN has to wait in line to get diesel fuel for its power plants that supply the Java-Bali grid.
Several areas in the two islands experienced blackouts on Monday as the 840-megawatt Grati power plant in Pasuruan, East Java, shut down temporarily due to the shortage.
General manager of PLN's Java-Bali power distribution Center Muljo Adji said that fuel supplies for Grati, the 1,000-MW Tambak Lorok power plant in Semarang and the 100-MW Gili Manuk power plant in Bali for the following week had been secured.
"However, Muara Tawar power plant has only enough fuel to last until Friday evening, while the tanker bringing the supply is scheduled to arrive on Friday morning," he said, referring to the 840-MW power plant in Jakarta.
"If the vessel arrives late, we'll have to shut down the power plant," he said.
Despite its status as an oil producer, Indonesia has to import 300,000 barrels of crude oil a day and 400,000 barrels of fuel products a day to meet increasing domestic demand.