Pertamina to build six fuel stations in Kalimantan

State owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina will operate at least six fuel stations in several locations in Kalimantan in anticipation of the liberalization drive in the country's fuel retail market beginning in 2005, Neraca daily reported on Thursday.

General Manager of Pertamina' s unit for Kalimantan Iqbal Hasan said that three of the six fuel stations had been built in Balikpapan and Sepinggan, while the other three would be built in Pontianak, Banjarmasina and Samarinda.

At present, most of the fuel stations in the country are operated by private companies under licenses from Pertamina. " In the future the operation of the existing fuel stations would be synchronized with the operation of Pertamina's own fuel stations," he added.

"By operating our own fuel stations we will be able to better compete with foreign companies in the retail market," he said.

Pertamina's monopoly in the fuel retail market would be removed beginning next year in line with the liberalization of the country's oil sector. A number of foreign oil companies have received the government's permits to enter the fuel retail market. (*)