YLKI Urges Director General of Oil and Gas to Re-examine Pertamax Quality

KatadataOTO – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) recently uncovered an alleged corruption case in crude oil management involving Riva Siahaan, President Director of Pertamina Patra Niaga, as a suspect.

In the case, the AGO revealed the manipulation of refinery products by mixing BBM (fuel) RON 90 or Pertalite to become RON 92, commonly known as Pertamax.

Consumers of the state-owned enterprise are unsettled by the incident. Many people feel they have been harmed.

Based on the above, the YLKI (Indonesian Consumers Foundation) is urging policymakers to act quickly.

Photo : Antara

“We urge the Director General of Oil and Gas at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) to re-examine the quality of Pertamina fuel circulating in the market,” said Agus Suyatno, a Daily Executive at YLKI, to KatadataOTO on Wednesday (26/02).

According to Agus, this must be done by the ESDM to ensure there are no deviations from the quality standards set by the government.

It would also provide certainty to the public that the fuel they are using complies with regulations.

“Whether it is still on spec or if there is indeed a problem with the product (Pertamax),” Agus continued.

Agus suggested that the re-examination of Pertamax should involve a competent and independent third party.

This way, the inspection results can be trusted by consumers and the public who use Pertamina fuel.

Furthermore, he also urged the ESDM to announce the results of regular examinations or inspections of various Pertamina products.

“This is important so that consumers receive comprehensive, accurate, and concrete information,” Agus emphasized.

For your information, the alleged mixing of Pertalite to become Pertamax occurred from 2018 to 2023.

At that time, Pertamina was required to fulfill its crude oil needs in the country using domestic oil supplies. As stipulated in articles 2 and 3 of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation Number 42 of 2018.

Pertamina had to source oil supplies from domestic contractors before planning imports.

However, Riva Siahaan allegedly manipulated the situation and used it as a basis to reduce refinery production.

Photo : Courtesy

Thus, domestic oil production was not fully absorbed. Then, fulfillment was done through imports.

Riva is said to have purchased RON 92 fuel, but only bought fuel with a lower octane.

It was then mixed in storage or depots to make it RON 92. However, this action is not permitted.