Pertamina to import more fuels in August

State oil and gas company PT Pertamina (Persero) said that it will import 8.4 million barrels of Premium gasoline, 4.4 million barrels of diesel oil and 570,000 barrels of aviation fuel (avtur) to cope with the expected surge in the demand during the Ramadan fasting month which will begin early August.

The company?s spokesman Mochamad Harun said in Jakarta on Thursday that fuel imports would be unusually higher due to increase in the consumption during the fasting month.

"For avtur, we usually use our own product. But now we need to import to build stock,? he said, adding that in normal days, Pertamina imports between 5.5 and 6 million barrels of Premium gasoline and between 2.5 and 3 million barrels of diesel oil. (godang/bernard)