JAKARTA (Reuters) -The Indonesian government will hold discussions with private fuel distributors, an official said on Thursday, as supply runs low at petrol stations operated by Shell and BP-AKR.
Shell and BP-AKR, the operator of BP’s fuel stations, said they had inventory shortages for some gasoline products.
Shell said last week some of its products would not be available at some fuel stations for an undetermined period.
The market share of private fuel distributors, which sell only unsubsidised fuels, is small compared to those controlled by state firm Pertamina. However, restrictions in sales of subsidised fuel have caused demand shifts to Shell and BP, local media reported.
The government will meet with all privately-run fuel distributors next week to discuss the issue, energy ministry senior official Laode Sulaeman told Reuters.
Laode said this year, private distributors have been given a fuel import quota 10% higher than in 2024.
Energy minister Bahlil Lahadalia encouraged private firms to partner with Pertamina to address the problem.
BP-AKR said it was experiencing limited stock of BP’s 92-octane and 95-octane fuels, while Shell was coordinating with the energy ministry to ensure fuel availability, a spokesperson said.
(Reporting by Fransiska Nangoy and Bernadette Christina Munthe;Additional reporting by Stefannou Sulaiman;Editing by Bernadette Baum)
