Subsidised Fuel Scarce, Flores Timur Residents Queue for Hours at Petrol Stations

A shortage of subsidised fuel has hit Flores Timur Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, since Monday (29/6/2026) and continued into Tuesday (30/6/2026). Observations at one of the SPBU 01 Larantuka filling stations showed long queues of motorcycles and cars from morning until midday. A local resident, Roni, said he had queued for hours to get subsidised fuel after failing to obtain any the previous day because stocks had run out. ‘I arrived at 10:00 WITA, but yesterday I didn’t get any,’ he said while queuing at the filling station. Another resident, Welhamoris, a car owner, expressed hope that the filling station would prioritise public vehicles over retailers. ‘The queue is too long; I didn’t get any yesterday. Today my tank is half empty, so I have to queue,’ he said. Tarsisius Kopong, Head of Natural Resources at the Flores Timur Regional Secretariat, explained that the limited supply of subsidised fuel occurred because the third-quarter quota from the Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BPH Migas) had not yet been issued. ‘The quarterly quota is holding back distribution to filling stations. Today we are processing a letter from the regent to BPH Migas to request a quota increase,’ he said. Tarsisius noted that supplies from Pertamina to filling stations are restricted specifically for subsidised fuel, while non-subsidised fuel remains secure. ‘The daily average is around 5,000 tonnes. Meanwhile, SPBU 02 Lamawalang is out of stock. This month’s allocation is indeed small, at only 128 kilolitres,’ he added.