REFUELING STATIONS TO SELL PREMIUM GASOLINE AGAIN

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 19 (Antara) - The lower quality Research Octane Number 88 (R0N-88) Premium gasoline will come back to gasoline refueling stations (SPBU) in Jakarta and other regions in Java, Madura and Bali (Jamali).         According to Acting President Director of state-owned oil and gas firm Pertamina, Nicke Widyawati, a total of 1,926 SPBUs will serve consumers in Jamali again after stopping selling premium for a few years.         The government, through Presidential Regulation No. 191 Year of 2014, has regulated that the  subsidized or Public Service Obligation Premium gasoline is only sold in regions outside Jamali. Premium sold in Jamali is no longer subsidized.         Since then, Premium has disappeared in many SPBUs in Jamali. At the same time state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina introduced to consumers its relatively better quality gasoline, the RON-90 Pertalite.         The basic idea of restricting the sale of subsidized Premium in Jamali is to encourage the financially capable consumers to migrate to non-subsidized fuels, which relatively has better quality such as Pertalite, Pertamax, and Pertamax Turbo.         However, the government has decided to bring back Premium to refueling stations in Jamali. After all, it has been successful in encouraging consumers to migrate to Pertalite and other higher quality fuels.