Antara News·Indonesia·Monday, October 5, 2026 at 09:27 AM UTC

Ministry, local govt join efforts to manage fuel supply amid El Nino

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Putu Indah S, Resinta Sulistiyandari

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) is coordinating with regional governments to mitigate challenges in fuel distribution during El Nino conditions.

“We always work closely with regional governments to mitigate conditions on the ground,” the ministry’s Director General of Oil and Gas, Laode Sulaeman, said at the 2026 Regional Inflation Control Coordination Meeting on Monday.

He explained that long queues for fuel purchases in several regions were not caused by fuel shortages but by the El Nino phenomenon.

According to him, receding and drying rivers due to the El Nino phenomenon have affected fuel distribution, which normally uses ships. Instead, fuel is now being transported by tanker trucks.

“The trucks carry less cargo than river vessels. This is one of the factors behind the queues,” Laode said.

Therefore, he emphasized that the long queues were not caused by fuel shortages but by disruptions to fuel distribution during the El Nino phenomenon.

“Even if queues do occur, they are more due to El Nino conditions, not stock security,” he said.

Previously, Laode said his office had adopted a hunting method, or sought out countries with excess fuel stocks, to maintain national fuel supplies.

This method differs from the previous fuel procurement system, which involved auctions.

The change in procurement method was prompted by a lack of auction participants following the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East.

As a result, Laode said the price of purchased fuel could potentially be higher than under regular procurement.

Nevertheless, Laode noted that the method enables Indonesia to maintain sufficient fuel stocks for the next 18-20 days.

Earlier, ESDM Minister Bahlil Lahadalia confirmed that fuel reserves are maintained at the minimum standard of 18–21 days amid geopolitical turmoil.

The government also assured that subsidized fuel prices would remain unchanged until the end of the year, as instructed by President Prabowo Subianto.

Meanwhile, Bahlil explained that non-subsidized fuel prices would continue to be adjusted. He said changes in non-subsidized fuel prices are due to their nature of following market prices.

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