Singapore, Malaysia supply fuel

The government said that stocks of fuel continued to deplete, currently enough for less than 10 days of consumption, while Singapore and Malaysia were committed to supplying up to 450,000 barrels of premium per day to Indonesia.

Minister of Mines and Energy Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pleaded to the people not to go panic as the fuel stocks were enough to supply demand until the end of this month, and at the same time, additional imports of fuels would soon flow in.

Susilo Bambang said that the government had secured supplies from Malaysia and Singapore. Malaysia, he said, was committed to supplying 50,000 barrels of fuels per day, while Singapore was committed to exporting 400,000 barrels per day of fuels, a sharp increase from its initial commitment of 150,000 barrels per day.

Director General of Oil and Gas Rachmat Sudibyo acknowledged that the stocks of premium were currently enough for less than 10 days. But he said fuel supplies from Balongan refinery would return to normal starting on Thursday.

Balongan plant, with its production capacity of 125,000 barrels per day of fuels, supplies around 25 percent of local fuel consumption. National fuel consumption reaches 12 kiloliters or equivalent with 12 billion liters per annum.

The director of processing at state-owned oil and gas firm Pertamina, Ariffi Nawawi, said that Balongan refinery had actually operated in full capacity since Tuesday night, but fuel supplies to Pertamina's Plumpang fuel storage in Jakarta would return to normal on Thursday.

Because of the breakdown in the Balongan refinery and disruption of fuel imports, fuel scarcity has hit a number of areas, especially in East Java, Bali and currently Jakarta. (*)