Premium Will Be Removed, Pertamina: We Continue To Distribute All Fuel Products

Pertamina gas station. (Angga Nugraha / VOI)

JAKARTA - Premium and Pertalite types of fuel are threatened with withdrawal. This type of fuel is planned to be phased out for several reasons. One of them is to support the use of fuel with better quality and more environmentally friendly.

Responding to this, Pertamina's VP of Corporate Communication Fajriyah Usman said Pertamina still provides and distributes Premium or RON 88 BBM as long as the assignment is determined by the government.

PT Pertamina (Persero) is fully committed to carrying out the best possible assignment by distributing and providing Premium at 4,700 gas station outlets throughout Indonesia, in addition to other types of fuel.

"Based on an assignment from the government, Pertamina is currently distributing and providing Premium in Indonesia," he said, in a written statement received by VOI, Tuesday, September 1.

Apart from Premium, said Fajriah, Pertamina also provides general types of fuel which include Perta Series, namely Pertalite, Pertamax and Pertamax Turbo and Dex Series, namely Pertamina Dex and Dexlite.

"Pertamina also still provides Pertalite and other fuel at gas stations in Indonesia. For this reason, people do not need to worry and continue to use BBM as needed," he explained.

The assignment for the distribution of Premium type of fuel is stipulated in Presidential Regulation Number 43 of 2018 as well as the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Decree Number 1851 K / 15 / MEM / 2018.

However, in order to support the global agenda to reduce motor vehicle exhaust emission levels and in line with the Minister of Environment Regulation Number 20 of 2017, Pertamina continues to consistently educate consumers and encourage the use of environmentally friendly fuels.

Furthermore, Fajriyah explained, the plan to eliminate environmentally unfriendly fuels is also in accordance with the agreement of the world and the government, each country strives to reduce carbon emissions and reduce air pollution.

"As we have experienced since PSBB, the blue sky and air are better, for that we will encourage people to use higher quality products," he said.

Previously, Pertamina planned to remove fuel oil (BBM) products that were deemed unfriendly to the environment. This step is part of the restructuring efforts undertaken by the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) against the state-owned company.

Pertamina's Managing Director Nicke Widyawati explained that product processing would later refer to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) Regulation Number 20 of 2017 concerning the limitation of the Research Octane Number (RON) or octane of the BBM used.

In this regulation, the RON limit in gasoline products is regulated, namely a minimum of 91 with a maximum sulfur content of 50 ppm and a minimum cetane number threshold of 51 with a maximum sulfur content of 50 ppm for diesel products. The rules define product thresholds with a minimum of the Euro IV standard.

Nicke said the world and the government had agreed to reduce exhaust or carbon emissions by encouraging the use of energy that is more environmentally friendly.

"So when it comes to simplification. We have to look at the philosophy first, that there is a regulation from the government and also a world agreement on how we protect the environment. So there is a regulation from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry which stipulates that to maintain carbon emissions, maintain air pollution there are RON limits," he said in a virtual discussion entitled 'Spurring Pertamina's Work', Monday, June 15.

On the basis of the Minister of Environment and Forestry's regulation, said Nicke, Pertamina will prioritize products that are environmentally friendly. In addition, Pertamina will also encourage people to use environmentally friendly fuel.