The Ministry Of Energy And Mineral Resources Gives A Signal That It Will Increase The Price Of Pertamax To Rp. 16,000, Optimistic Observers Are Still Cheaper Than Private Gas Stations

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) through the Head of the Bureau of Communication, Public Information Services and Great Private Cooperation opens the opportunity to raise the upper limit price for 92 octane fuel (RON 92) such as Pertamax to Rp 16,000 per year. liters in April. It is suspected that world crude oil prices are still high above 100 US dollars per barrel.

However, Energy Watch Executive Director Mamit Setiawan said the price set by the government in the future will still be lower than the price for private gas stations.

"If (the price of Pertamax) is increased, I still believe that the price of fuel from Pertamina will be cheaper than other private gas stations," Mamit told VOI, Saturday, March 26.

Mamit said that Pertamina's price adjustments must still take into account the purchasing power of the people. Moreover, Pertamax contributed sales in 2021 to reach 20 percent of total gasoline consumption and higher than in 2020 which was only in the range of 12 percent of total gasoline consumption.

He also approved the government's move to increase the price of Pertamax in April, considering that Pertamax is a type of general fuel that is not subsidized or compensated by the Government.

"Pertamax itself is a segmented user, so I don't think the impact of this adjustment will be too big. Inflation due to the increase will also not be high," he continued.

Mamit also estimates that the price increase will not reach Rp. 16,000 because it will be very burdensome for people who consume Pertamax.

"It seems that the price will not be that high, because it will be too heavy for the community," concluded Mamit.

Previously, Agung Pribadi revealed that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine was the main reason why world crude oil prices continued to rise. This is because crude oil stocks from Russia and Kazakhstan were disrupted due to damage to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium pipeline, resulting in reduced supplies to the European Union.

The high world oil price greatly affects the price of fuel. For information, the upper limit for the selling price of general fuel type RON 92 for March 2022 is Rp. 14,526 per liter.

This price is a reflection of the economic price of RON 92 fuel based on the basic price formula in calculating the retail selling price of general fuel types. As for calculating the economic price or the March upper limit, consider the realization of price developments in the previous month, namely February. Even though in February 2022, oil prices were not as high as March 2022.