Safe Fuel Supply, Pertamina's Managing Director: People Don't Need To Queue At Gas Stations

President Director of PT Pertamina Nicke Widyawati during a visit to a gas station in Palembang. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - President Director of PT Pertamina Nicke Widyawati appealed to residents not to have to queue at Public Fuel Filling Stations (SPBU) to get fuel oil, especially subsidized diesel. Nicke guarantees that his party guarantees the supply according to the latest conditions (real time).

"There's no need to worry, there's no need to see people queuing and then joining the queue, because there is still (oil)," Nicke said as quoted by Antara, Sunday, April 3.

The public is expected not to panic because Pertamina has received a guarantee from the government to continue to oversee the availability of fuel in the community, both for subsidized and non-subsidized groups.

This guarantee is given so that the prices of basic needs of the community do not increase, considering that subsidized diesel oil is intended for public vehicles and vehicles transporting logistics goods.

Therefore, from the start, Pertamina provided the fuel supply based on public demand (base on demand). Even in some areas, Pertamina has even increased supply by up to 75 percent from usual.

"And this is what we did (added supply)," he said.

For him, the situation of panic buying (buying because of panic) will actually be disastrous. There is a fear that the fuel will run out will create a rush so that queues at gas stations become inevitable. If it is so, then all sectors will be disrupted.

Therefore, Nicke appealed to freight forwarders to stop chasing subsidized diesel fuel and to be willing to queue for hours at gas stations. In fact, to the tactic of moving gas stations to fill the vehicle's tank completely.

For him, the current condition is very under control, as in South Sumatra there are 27 gas stations that provide subsidized diesel fuel, which according to Nicke really fulfills the needs of logistics transportation.

Even if there are still queues, Pertamina already has anticipatory steps, namely by operating a mobile gas station or tank car unit that has a fuel purchase calculator.

Not only that, Pertamina can also operate the Pertashop Mobile unit which was used on the toll road for the Lebaran homecoming period.

In South Sumatra, Pertamina provides as many as 17 units of mobile dispensers so that when there is a queue, they can pick up the ball by approaching the vehicles that have snaked out of the gas station area.

Another step, Pertamina also monitors in real time every stock at the gas station even to the dispenser through a digitalization system to avoid fuel shortages.

For this reason, if there is a gas station whose condition is almost empty, it will contact the manager to immediately submit a Delivery Order (DO).

Through these efforts, so far Nicke assesses that the queues of vehicles at gas stations are not as bad as before. Especially since Pertamina has increased supply by up to 20 percent in the South Sumatra region.

"You can see for yourself, the queue that occurred last month is no longer there and has decomposed," said Nicke.

Not only biodiesel, Pertamina is also monitoring the demand for Pertalite after the price increase was made for Pertamax.

"Essentially what we want to convey is that the supply of fuel, both Bio Solar, Pertalite, Pertamax, Dexlite, Pertadex and Pertamax turbo, is all in safe condition," he said.