Domestic fuel consumption down 20 percent in Oct

State-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina said on Monday that the national consumption of subsidized fuel on had dropped by 20 percent to 136,800 kiloliters per day in October from about 170,600 kiloliters per day in September following the increase of the fuel prices early last month.

The daily consumption for Premium gasoline dropped by 26 percent to 41,800 kiloliters in October from about 56,800 kiloliters before the increase in the fuel price, Pertamina vice president Mustiko Saleh said in a hearing between the ministry of energy and mineral resources and the House of Representatives.

Meanwhile, the daily consumption of diesel and kerosene fell to 67,100 kiloliters and 27,000 kiloliters from 81,300 kiloliters and 32,500 kiloliters, respectively.

Mustiko also said Pertamina was ready to supply a total of 41.6 million kiloliters of subsidized fuel next year if the government decided to continue the company?s public service obligation (PSO) to distribute and sell subsidized fuel throughout the country.

The government has recently decided to extend Pertamina?s PSO until the end of this year from the November 23, 2005 deadline stipulated in Oil and Gas Law. It also decided that PSO would be auctioned off, with companies that are already get licenses eligible to participate, starting next year.

Indonesia consumed around 55.36 million kiloliters of subsidized fuels last year. (godang/dino)