October 1, 2025 | 06:58 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Deputy Director of Indonesia's Pertamina Patra Niaga, Achmad Muchtasyar, revealed that PT Vivo Energy Indonesia decided to cancel its plan to absorb base fuel imported by Pertamina.
The announcement came during a hearing with Commission XII of the House of Representatives (DPR), the Directorate General of Oil and Gas, and representatives of private gas station operators on Wednesday, October 1, 2025.
Achmad said that initially two private operators, Vivo and APR—the joint venture of BP and AKR—had expressed interest in buying Pertamina’s imported base fuel. An agreement was even reached on Friday, September 26. However, both companies withdrew after testing the product.
“Yesterday before 06:00 PM, AKR said they would not proceed. Then at 07:40 PM, Vivo also pulled out. So APR did not continue either,” Achmad explained.
The cancellation was mainly due to the ethanol content found in Pertamina’s imported base fuel. Laboratory tests on the cargo from MT Sakura showed an ethanol level of 3.5 percent.
Although still below the maximum threshold of 20 percent set by regulation, the ethanol presence made private operators reluctant to go ahead.
“As of now, no private operator has absorbed Pertamina’s base fuel. They are ready to negotiate for the next shipment, as long as the product meets each brand’s specific requirements,” Achmad said, noting that different fuel brands apply different specifications.
Beyond the ethanol issue, Pertamina had also been discussing other technical and commercial aspects with private operators, including transaction schemes, fuel volumes, and a cost-plus fee pricing model.
Initially, Vivo had agreed to purchase 40,000 barrels from Pertamina’s 100,000-barrel imported cargo to serve its customers. Acting Corporate Secretary of Pertamina Patra Niaga, Roberth MV Dumatubun, even welcomed the cooperation at the time.
“We welcome this collaborative spirit. This policy is not just about importing fuel, but about ensuring energy availability and serving the public well,” Roberth said in a written statement on September 26. He added that the supply mechanism to Vivo would follow established procedures while ensuring compliance with state-owned enterprise regulations.
Pertamina’s base fuel import scheme was part of a government-led initiative to address fuel shortages at private gas stations.
The arrangement was agreed upon by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Pertamina, and private operators, and was first announced by Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia on September 19.
Under the deal, Pertamina would sell base fuel (raw, unblended fuel products) to private gas stations. “This means the product delivered is not mixed. The blending will be done in the tanks of each gas station. This has been approved as the solution,” Bahlil explained.
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