Jakarta, July 31 (Antara) - State-owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina will continue to provide Premium gasoline fuel to its consumers although it is now launching a new, better quality fuel called Pertalite.
"Pertalite will not replace Premium. The new type of fuel only provides an alternative option to consumers," External Relations Officer of Pertamina Operation Region (MOR) IV for Central Java Robert M.V. Dumatubun, stated in Semarang, Central Java, on Tuesday.
However, Pertamina hopes that most of the consumers will switch from Premium to Pertalite as this new type of fuel is of better quality than Premium.
Corporate Communications Vice President Wiando Pusponegoro stated that Pertamina launched a trial sale of Pertalite fuel at 101 public refilling stations (SBPUs) in three cities of Jakarta, Bandung (68 SBPUs in both cities), and Surabaya (33 SBPUs) on last Friday, July 24, 2015.
The new fuel was launched in the market after undergoing various phases of technical testing and obtaining permits from the government.
Pertalite is being introduced to offer an alternative to motorists who want to use quality fuel having a higher octane value than that of Premium gasoline (Research Octane Number/RON 88) but at a lower price than that of Pertamax (RON 92).
With Octane 90 Pertalite, vehicle engines perform combustion more efficiently as Pertalite is suitable for cars with the latest technology and is far better than that of Premium gasoline RON 88. Thus, Pertalite is environmentally friendlier than Premium and makes machines more fuel-efficient.
Dumatubun stated that Pertalite had not yet been sold in Central Java and Yogyakarta as it is still on trial sale in three cities of Jakarta, Bandung (West Java), and Surabaya (East Java).
"We will introduce it and evaluate the SBPUs, which will be used to distribute Pertalite fuel in Semarang and Yogyakarta," he remarked.
The Pertamina official noted that the public's response during the trail marketing of Pertalite has so far been good. The public is enthusiastic and has welcomed Pertalite in Jakarta and Bandung.
"We hope the consumer's interest in using Pertalite in Central Java, Semarang in particular, is also high, and so, the new type of fuel will soon be launched in the market in this region," he affirmed.
So far, consumers have shown enthusiasm in welcoming the launch of Pertalite.
"I was surprised. Pertalite's quality has proven to be better. Consumption is also quite efficient. I first spent Rp250 thousand to refill my car. When I usually have to refill again, it turns out that the fuel was still at the half-level mark in the tank," Ibrahim, a businessman in Bogor, West Java, remarked on Monday.
Ibrahim said he was using Pertalite for the first time during a long trip on the Jakarta-Kuningan-Gombong-Jakarta route. The engine sound was soft. No tickling noise was audible from the engine, which was usually heard when I used Premium. The engine temperature was also stable. Usually, the engine quickly reached a high temperature, which reduced the engine power.
"As I often take long trips, I think Pertalite will be the solution and has high quality," Ibrahim affirmed.
Therefore, Ibrahim decided to switch from Premium to Pertalite for his Avanza 2006 minivan and also for his old Hi-Ace 1980 car.
In the meantime, the sales of the new fuel type Pertalite have increased significantly since its launch on July 24, 2015.
The sales volume of Pertalite on Saturday, July 25, at 66 SBPUs in West Java, reached 186,610 liters, or about 2,827 liters per SBPU. Moreover, in some SBPUs, the sales even reached over five thousand liters per day.
On the next day of the launch, the sales volume of Pertalite at 30 SBPUs in East Java's Surabaya and its surrounding areas reached 82,860 liters, or about 2,732 liters per SBPU.
This indicates that the launch showed an increase in sales of 69.2 percent compared to that recorded on the first day, on Friday, July 24, 2015.
"Taking into account such conditions, we are convinced that the sales trial of Pertalite will be successful," Pusponegoro said.
Pusponegoro noted that the consumers enthusiastically welcomed the launch of the new type of Pertamina's fuel, or Pertalite RON 90.
She said that the sales of Pertalite at 11 SBPUs in Sidoarjo and Mojokerto of East Java on Saturday increased by 269 percent from 9,859 liters on the first day to 26,523 liters recorded on Saturday.
"In just one SBPU, the sales of Pertalite on Saturday reached 4,781 liters. We are happy and should be thankful as the facts reveal that the consumers are showing interest in our new product," Pusponegoro remarked.
Consumers in West Java also expressed the same enthusiasm as indicated by an increase of about 88.9 percent in the sales of Pertalite on Saturday compared to that noted on the first day.
Regarding the demand to expand the marketing of Pertalite to regions apart from the three cities, Pusponegoro stated that it would be done in the coming months, but it should be adjusted after taking into account Pertalite's stocks in Plumpang, Jakarta.
"We are ready to launch in other regions, but we want to focus first on the 101 SBPUs in the three cities. It should not happen that demand for the fuel is high while we cannot meet it," she emphasized.
Pertamina President Director Dwi Sutjipto noted on Monday that his company was ready to increase the supply of Pertalite in the market if demand for the new type of fuel continued to increase.
"Additional supplies will be adjusted to the developments in the market. We are still launching the trial sales. We will evaluate it. So far, the market response is good, and the consumers have welcomed it," Sutjipto noted in a post-fasting gathering at the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises here on Monday (July 27).
He said Pertamina will conduct an evaluation based on Pertalite's distribution in the coming two months.
"We are still supplying stocks to 101 SBPUs. If the demand increases, we will add supplies while not reducing the quota of Premium gasoline supplies," he added.(T.A014/INE)
EDITED BY INE(T.SYS/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 31-07-2015 12:58: |
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