Fuel stocks at safe level: Pertamina

Fuel stocks at safe level: Pertamina

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

National fuel stocks have reportedly returned to a safe level
at a 22-day consumption level, meaning there would not be a fuel
shortage ahead of the presidential election, state oil and gas
firm PT Pertamina said in a statement on Thursday.

Pertamina's spokesman M. Harun said the stocks would further
increase to a level of 24 days of consumption by the end of this
month.

Concerning fuel shortages, which reportedly hit several
regions in the past couple of weeks, Harun said it was due to bad
weather at sea, which hampered fuel shipments.

"Technical problems" related to the management of the fuel
supply was also a factor behind the shortages, he added, without
providing details.

"The problems have been solved. Schedules for distribution of
crude oil and other fuel have returned to normal. Operations in
the refineries have been increased to near 100 percent capacity,"
Harun said.

The consumption of Premium gasoline has increased by 5 percent
from 41,500 kiloliters a day to 43,000 kiloliters a day during
the presidential election campaign as it did during legislative
elections in April.

"It is within the normal range given the increasing public
activities related to the general elections," Harun said.

He added that consumption of automotive diesel fuel had
increased by 6 percent due to rising consumption by state utility
firm PT PLN.

PT PLN is using more automotive diesel fuel to fire its power
plants as the dry season has reduced output at the firm's
hydropower plants.