Pertamina Fuels Shell's Return: 100,000-Barrel Deal Ends Gasoline Drought

Jakarta, Indonesia - A major 100,000-barrel supply of base fuel from Pertamina Patra Niaga has officially reached Shell Indonesia's stations, allowing the company to resume sales of Shell Super gasoline and conclude a challenging period of stock outages. The announcement, made on Shell's official platforms, confirms availability at stations in the Greater Jakarta area, Banten, and West Java, providing immediate relief to affected consumers. This supply is the result of a business-to-business (B2B) agreement finalized after months of complex negotiations and follows a direct governmental directive for Pertamina to support private fuel retailers.

The root cause of the shortages lay in exhausted import quotas. Private fuel station operators like Shell, BP-AKR, and Vivo faced empty tanks after their government-allocated import quotas for 2025, set at 110% of their 2024 sales volume, were depleted ahead of schedule. With the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) declining to issue additional import recommendations, a crisis ensued. Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia subsequently instructed Pertamina to import base fuel and sell it to the struggling private operators as a stopgap solution.

Pertamina Patra Niaga has positioned itself as a reliable partner for the private sector through this process. Corporate Secretary Roberth MV Dumatubun stated that the supply to Shell reaffirms that Pertamina is ready not only to meet the needs of its own stations but also to act as a strategic supplier to private operators. The total volume supplied by Pertamina to private entities—Shell, BP-AKR, and Vivo—now stands at 430,000 barrels, demonstrating significant logistical capacity.

The B2B process itself was rigorous and multi-layered. Pertamina outlined that the procedure involved setting demand volumes, conducting supplier tenders under Good Corporate Governance (GCG) principles, performing joint surveys with the client, holding open-book commercial negotiations, and finally executing the unloading process at the private stations. This structured approach was designed to ensure compliance and transparency in the commercial agreement between the two corporations.

Notably, Shell's retail business in Indonesia is undergoing a separate, major transition unrelated to the supply issues. The company has agreed to sell its entire network of roughly 200 gas stations to a joint venture formed by Citadel Pacific Limited and Sefas Group, with the transfer scheduled for completion in 2026. Shell Indonesia has clarified that this ownership divestment is a strategic global decision and will not impact fuel availability, as the Shell brand will remain under a licensing agreement.

For the Indonesian government, the situation has highlighted the challenges of managing fuel import policies. The decision to shorten import license durations to six months and cap quota increases, while intended to regulate the market, ultimately led to supply disruptions when demand exceeded projections. The collaboration with Pertamina emerged as a necessary intervention to maintain market stability and consumer access.

The return of Shell Super gasoline is a welcome development for motorists, restoring competitive options in the non-subsidized fuel market. However, Shell has indicated that its premium Shell V-Power and V-Power Nitro+ variants remain temporarily unavailable. The company continues to offer other services, including diesel, convenience retail, and vehicle care, at its stations.

This episode underscores the interconnected nature of Indonesia's energy ecosystem and the critical role of collaboration between state-owned and private enterprises in ensuring national energy security and market resilience.

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Tag: Energy Collaboration Fuel Import Quota Indonesia Gasoline Pertamina B2B Private SPBU Shell Fuel Supply Shell Super