Starting January 1, 2023, Gas Stations Are Prohibited From Selling Fuel Types RON 88 And 89

Gas stations are prohibited from selling fuel types RON 88 and 89 starting January 1, 2023. (Photo: Maria Trisnawati/VOI)

JAKARTA - The government has banned Public Fuel Filling Stations (SPBU) operating in Indonesia from selling fuel oil (BBM) with RON levels below 90. The ban will take effect January 1, 2023.

This was confirmed by Member of the Committee for the Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BPH Migas), Saleh Abdurrahman.

"That's right. Only RON 90 and above is circulating," he said briefly to VOI, Wednesday, October 26.

The deletion rule is contained in the Decree of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Number 245.K/MG.01/MEM.M/2022 concerning Amendments to the Decree of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Number 62.K/12/MEM/2020 concerning Basic Price Formula in Calculation of Retail Selling Prices Types of General Gasoline and Solar Oil which are channeled through gas stations and or Fisherman's Fuel Filling Stations.

"That the standard and quality (specificification) of RON 88 gasoline (gasoline) fuel marketed domestically has been declared invalid starting January 1, 2023," the regulation was quoted as saying Wednesday, October 26.

Previously, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif determined that the change in the type of fuel specifically for the assignment of the minimum type of gasoline at RON 88 was a special type of assignment (JBKP) for RON 90 gasoline.

This determination is stated in the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Decree Number: 37.K/HK.02/MEM.M/2022 concerning Types of Special Fuel Oil Assignment. This change is due to fuel below RON 90 being considered dirty.

Until now, one of the gas stations that still provides RON 89 fuel is VIVO Energy.

However, on September 6, PT Vivo Energy Indonesia announced that starting in 2023 it will no longer sell Revvo 89 type of fuel oil (BBM). For this reason, the company will spend the current inventory of Revvo 89.

Through its official statement, the management wrote, to comply with government policies, Vivo Energy Indonesia has taken the necessary steps to consume Revvo 89 supplies by the end of this year.

"The government has decided to remove low-octane fuel sales on December 31, 2022," Vivo management wrote in an official statement quoted on Tuesday, September 6.