BALIKPAPAN - Energy and Mineral Resources Minister (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia confirmed that he would stop importing solar fuel for both Pertamina and private public fuel filling stations (SPBU) in 2026.
"Starting this year, I will no longer issue import permits for solar. Import permits for solar starting this year will no longer exist," Bahlil told the media when he was met in Balikpapan, Monday, January 12.
Bahlil added that although there were still cargoes at the beginning of 2026, the imported fuel was a residual quota from 2025.
"But this year the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, at the order of the President, because we have refineries, we no longer issue imports," said Bahlil.
Bahlil even targeted to increase the production of fuel at the Balikpapan RDMP Refinery so that it could produce fuel with octane values of 92, 95 and RON 98 so that fuel imports could be stopped.
"So that these private business entities buy domestic production through Pertamina. This is a constitutional order, the order of Article 33 is the branches of production that concern the livelihood of the masses must be controlled by the state and therefore the state must prepare," said Bahlil.
Bahlil said that in fact, realizing energy independence and sovereignty is one of the nation's major agendas as stated in the President's Asta Cita.
"With the operation of the Balikpapan RDMP, we can reduce our dependence on imported fuel and LPG and can produce products with EURO V quality which are certainly more environmentally friendly," said Bahlil.
The Balikpapan RDMP project has an investment value of around 7.4 billion US dollars or equivalent to Rp. 123 trillion. Through the construction of the RDMP, the production capacity of fuel increased from the previous 260,000 barrels per day to 360,000 barrels equivalent to Euro V. In addition, this project increased the Refinery Complexity Index from 3.7 to 8, and the percentage of product value increased to 91.8 percent from the previous 75.3 percent.
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