Premium gasoline won?t be replaced by Pertalite: Govt

Acting Director General of Oil and Gas IGN Wiratmaja said that Premium gasoline will not be replaced by Pertalite, a new fuel product planned by state-owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina.

Wiratmaja told a press conference Monday that the Premium gasoline (with registered octane number of 88) will continue to be available at gas stations.

He said that Pertalite, which has higher octane number of about 90, will serve as alternative for motorists looking for higher octane fuel.

He made the comments following earlier report suggesting that Pertamina will replace the widely used Premium gasoline with Pertalite.

Pertamina Marketing Director Ahmad Bambang was quoted as saying that the company would start to gradually replace Premium with Pertalite in May in several major cities such as Jakarta, Surabaya and Semarang.

Pertamina President Director Dwi Sucipto confirmed on Monday that the company has no plan to replace Premium gasoline with Pertalite, unless there is a new policy from the government.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak