Indonesia Must Be Prepared to Allocate Tens of Trillion Rupiah for an Energy Buffer Reserve

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — Executive Director of the ReforMiner Institute, Komaidi Notonegoro, said that Indonesia would require a budget of tens of trillions of rupiah, particularly to establish an energy buffer stock or Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) as held by many developed economies.

Notonegoro explained that countries worldwide generally maintain strategic energy reserves averaging three to six months as a precaution in the event of an energy crisis or disruption to world oil distribution.

‘In more advanced countries the stockpiles are larger still, but this involves many factors, so storage capacity must be large and the fiscal allocation for storing such reserves must also be large,’ he told CNBC Indonesia, cited Friday (6/3/2026).

To build such an energy reserve, the budget is not small. At least to supply stock of BBM for one day requires an allocation of around Rp2.5 trillion to Rp3 trillion.

That means, if Indonesia wants to have energy reserves for 30 days, the funding could reach Rp60 trillion to Rp90 trillion.

‘Currently we have 20-25 days of stock that isn't owned by the state but is operational stock owned by a corporate entity whose inventories have not yet been sold, and for such entities, letting money idle for a long period is challenging,’ Notonegoro said.

Previously, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia explained the reason Indonesia's BBM stock is only 20 days. The statement raised concerns among the public when the Hormuz Strait, Iran, was closed.

The concern arises because the closure of the main global oil trade routes. Pertamina also disclosed that 19% of Indonesia's oil imports come from the Middle East that pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

However, according to Bahlil, the 20-day stock is the maximum storage capacity for BBM domestically. ‘Don't misinterpret; our storage capacity in RI has not been more than 21-25 days for a long time. The national standard minimum is 20-21 days, maximum 25 days,’ he said at the Presidential Palace complex, Wednesday (4/3/2026).

Bahlil also explained from Pertamina's report that Indonesia's BBM stock currently reaches 22-23 days.

‘Why don't we accumulate more than 25 days? If we do, where would we store it? The storage capacity is not enough. So please set the record straight; it's not that we can't prepare more than 25 days, because there simply isn't capacity,’ he added.

Moreover, Bahlil explained that President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the construction of BBM storage to extend Indonesia's energy resilience. The target is a storage capacity that could last for three months.