Russia crude imports may be handled by Lemigas, discussions underway
Monday, June 8 2026 - 06:27 PM WIB
By Calvin Purba
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) has indicated that potential crude oil imports from Russia could be conducted through the Oil and Gas Testing Center (Lemigas), a Public Service Agency (BLU) under the ministry, as part of efforts to secure domestic crude supply.
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said discussions on the proposed imports would begin immediately.
"I will start discussing it today because the President's directive, as stipulated in the presidential regulation, is that energy imports, including crude oil, fuel products and LPG, should be managed by a BLU, in this case Lemigas," Bahlil said.
Asked whether Russian crude imports could be carried out through Lemigas, Bahlil replied: "Yes, that is one of the possibilities. We are moving in that direction."
Last month, the government issued Presidential Regulation No. 26/2026, which governs crude oil import mechanisms and allows purchases to be conducted either through a Public Service Agency (BLU) or state-owned energy company PT Pertamina (Persero).
Read also : Govt prepares BLU scheme for planned Russian oil imports
Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Yuliot Tanjung said the regulation provides the legal basis for procuring crude oil from international markets.
carried out directly by state-owned enterprises, in this case Pertamina, or through a BLU," Yuliot said.
The regulation follows the government's plan to establish a BLU-based procurement scheme to facilitate potential crude oil imports from Russia as part of efforts to secure up to 150 million barrels of supply by the end of 2026.
The ministry's Director of Oil and Gas Program Development, Hendra Gunawan, previously said the government was preparing implementing regulations to appoint a BLU entity to oversee the procurement process.
Meanwhile, Director General of Oil and Gas Laode Sulaeman said Pertamina would not directly import Russian crude oil.
According to Laode, Pertamina's status as a global bond issuer was a key consideration, as transactions involving Russia could potentially conflict with bond covenant requirements linked to Western sanctions.
Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak