Indonesia raises Bali fuel reserve to 15 days from 11 days

DENPASAR, Oct 19 — Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia on Oct 19 ordered Bali's fuel reserve raised from 11 days to 15 days to speed the recovery of supplies, the ministry said after a coordination meeting at the Sanggaran Fuel Terminal in Denpasar.

According to the ministry, Bahlil gave the order through the Directorate General of Oil and Gas and the oil and gas regulator BPH Migas, and denied reports that Bali's fuel quota had been cut. Bahlil said delays to fuel tankers from Java had cut Bali's reserves to about 3 to 4 days, and that average reserves had since returned to 11 to 12 days.

Pertamina Patra Niaga is supplying about 3 million liters of fuel a day to Bali, above normal Pertalite consumption of about 2.2 million liters a day, the ministry said. The Governor of Bali said an odd-even purchasing scheme in place since Oct 17 had been effective in easing queues, and the scheme was extended until Oct 23. The government, Pertamina and the Bali provincial government will review distribution every day, the ministry said.