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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - PT Pertamina Patra Niaga, the commercial wing of state-owned oil and gas firm Pertamina, has publicly expressed its willingness to collaborate with Shell Indonesia to resolve the ongoing fuel stock shortage affecting Shell gas stations across the country."In principle, Pertamina has opened the opportunity for negotiation and collaboration," stated Roberth Marcelino Verieza, Corporate Secretary of Pertamina Patra Niaga, in a written statement on Sunday, November 2, 2025.However, Roberth noted that Shell has cited internal reasons for its inability to negotiate an agreement with Pertamina so far. Despite this, he stressed that Pertamina remains open to collaborating with any private entity willing to work together. He cited a similar successful collaboration with BP-AKR, which has now completed the process and resumed selling fuel at BP stations.Regarding the specific reasons an agreement with Shell has not been reached, Roberth referred inquiries directly to the British oil company, while reaffirming Pertamina's continued openness to negotiation.Shell Confirms Ongoing DiscussionsPreviously, Shell Indonesia confirmed on Friday, October 31, 2025, that no agreement has been reached with PT Pertamina Patra Niaga regarding the supply of base fuel for its products. As a result, several Shell gas stations have not been offering gasoline products such as Shell Super, Shell V-Power, and Shell V-Power Nitro+."B2B discussions regarding import-based fuel supply are ongoing," said Ingrid Siburian, Shell Indonesia President Director & Managing Director Mobility, in a written statement.Ingrid added that Shell continues to coordinate with the government and other stakeholders to ensure the availability of gasoline products across its entire network. These efforts, she noted, uphold operational safety standards, strict procurement procedures, and high-quality fuel in line with global Shell standards.Despite the gasoline unavailability, Shell stations remain operational, serving customers with Shell V-Power Diesel and other services like Shell Select, Shell Recharge, workshops, and Shell lubricants. Updates on gasoline product availability will be announced via Shell Indonesia's official channels.The controversy over fuel shortages at private gas stations (BP, Shell, and Vivo) has been ongoing since mid-August 2025. To date, only BP-AKR has finalized a supply collaboration with Pertamina.The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) attributed the nationwide shortage to the depletion of private fuel import quotas. The government had previously provided an additional 10% fuel import quota for private gas stations compared to the previous year.To solve the issue, ESDM and Pertamina held meetings with private companies, proposing that they import fuel through Pertamina. The state oil company still holds a significant remaining import quota of 34%, or approximately 7.52 million kiloliters."All private companies have received a 10% increase in quota from the previous year... So, everyone has received their share," stated Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.According to Bahlil, if private companies require supplies exceeding their allocated quota, the mandated solution is collaboration with Pertamina. "Why Pertamina? Because Pertamina represents the state. We cannot entirely rely on market mechanisms for the livelihood of the people," he stressed.Bahlil emphasized that the single-door mechanism for fuel imports through Pertamina is designed to maintain supply stability and protect public interests. He assured that this policy is not intended to restrict opportunities for private entities but to balance business interests with the critical public need for a guaranteed supply.Editor’s Choice: BP-AKR Purchases 100,000 Barrels of Base Fuel from Pertamina, Says Energy MinisterClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
