Indonesian Government Tightens Criteria for Buying Subsidized Fuel

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is in the process of developing regulations that will govern the criteria for citizens entitled to purchase subsidized fuel oil, including diesel and pertalite. While awaiting the release of the regulation, vehicle owners can register their vehicles in the Pertamina properly subsidized program both online and offline. According to a study by the downstream oil and gas regulator and various agencies, the target audience for pertalite includes motorcycles and four-wheelers, including private four-wheelers, commercial four-wheeler vans, commercial four-wheeler buses, and public service four-wheelers with a displacement of 1,400cc and below. For owners of vehicles with a displacement of 1400cc and below, it is important to be prepared before the implementation of the rule, which is likely to come into effect from October 1, 2024 onwards. During its implementation, especially for four-wheelers, a two-dimensional code (QR) will be required for every Pertalite refill and the vehicle will have to be registered in the Pertamina system. Quoting Pertamina, owners who have not yet registered their vehicles can do so online through the subsidy page at tepat.mypertamina.id or offline at the designated registry. Documents to be prepared, in the case of a private vehicle, include a photo of the owner's identity document KTP, a photo of the owner himself, a photo of the front and back of the STNK driver's license, a photo of each side of the vehicle, and a photo of the vehicle's registration number. At the time of online registration, the vehicle owner will be asked to fill in a number of data, upload documents, and select the type of subsidized fuel, diesel or Pertalite.Subsidized fuel customer registrations will complete the data validation process within seven working days.
Upon confirmation, the customer will receive a QR code that can be downloaded through the MyPertamina app or the appropriate subsidy page, which will be used each time the subsidized fuel is refilled at a Pertamina gas station. First the station staff will scan the QR code carried by the vehicle owner and if the record in the system is confirmed, the vehicle can be filled with Pertalite and the fuel will automatically flow out of the nozzle of the dispenser at the station.The Secretary of PT Pertamina Patra Niaga said they are still waiting for the enactment of the regulation that will apply to the standards for users of subsidized fuel. The plan to regulate the standards for the use of Pertalite has actually been in the works since 2022, when the price of crude oil soared to nearly $120 per barrel. The plan is to revise Presidential Decree 191 of 2014, which deals with fuel distribution and retail price regulations aimed at reducing inappropriate fuel subsidies, though so far it has not been made public. Since 2022, Pertamina has registered Pertalite consumer data at gas stations using a QR code scanning mechanism on four or more vehicles. The appropriate subsidy program is actually an effort to have the system ready for when future regulations are passed.
However, since the long-awaited regulations are not yet in place and restrictions have not yet been implemented, the proper subsidy scheme is relatively limited to Pertalite users. In order to control the use of Pertalite, Pertamina Patra Niaga offers the service of adding Pertalite via QR code for registered vehicles and recording the vehicle registration number for unregistered users.
They continue to strengthen the Pertalite subsidy registration in the first wave of areas, namely Java, Madura, Bali, Riau Archipelago, East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, North Maluku, Kelantaro, North Kalimantan and East Kalimantan. This follows news that Pertalite restrictions will be implemented on October 1, 2024, with the Energy and Mineral Resources Department (ESDM) confirming that the relevant regulations will be included in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) regulations. However, there is no clear timeframe for the implementation of the regulations, which are aimed at making fuel subsidies more targeted. Still waiting for the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Regulation (replacing Revised Presidential Decree 191/2014) to be approved by the President.JBT (Type Specific Fuel/Diesel) and JBKP (Type Specific Distributed Fuel/Pertalite) are correctly targeted. According to the Downstream Oil and Gas Regulator (BPH Migas), the Pertalite quota is 31.7 million kiloliters (KL) in 2024, down from 32.5 million KL in 2023, with Pertalite being the most widely consumed fuel type by the public.