Private fuel retailers cleared to import again as 2026 quota rises
Tuesday, January 6 2026 - 07:52 PM WIB
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has allowed private fuel retailers to resume fuel imports for 2026, with the import quota set to increase compared with 2025.
Director General of Oil and Gas Laode Sulaeman said the higher quota reflects strong domestic demand, noting that fuel stocks at private gas stations had run out since late August 2025 after the previous year’s quota was exhausted ahead of schedule.
Although import permits have been approved, Laode did not disclose the exact volume allocated for 2026. He said the increase is broadly in line with last year’s adjustment, which was around 10%.
“It has been approved. It’s roughly the same (an increase of about 10% compared with 2025),” Laode said on Monday night (Jan. 5, 2026).
Laode stressed that the fuel import process operates continuously and is not suspended at the start of the year, with shipments carried out on an ongoing basis.
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He expressed confidence that fuel supplies at private gas stations would remain stable following the approval of import permits.
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia previously said the government had calculated import quotas for private fuel retailers that comply with state regulations, without providing details.
“For those that comply with state regulations, I have already calculated (their quota),” Bahlil told reporters on Dec. 19.
He said quotas for non-compliant private retailers had not yet been determined, warning that companies that do not follow state rules could face consequences.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak