Energy minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on Monday that PT Pertamina no longer holds broad authority to import fuel, crude oil and LPG directly. Procurement now moves to the Lemigas Public Service Agency (BLU Lemigas), under Presidential Regulation No. 107 of 2026. The change shifts the mechanism from business-to-business to government-to-government and government-to-business deals.
How the new mechanism works
Under the regulation, BLU handles procurement and then sells to Pertamina. “So Pertamina will buy from BLU,” Bahlil said. The government, through Lemigas, will negotiate supply deals with supplier countries.
Bahlil said the aim is to address slow import tenders. He said that for years Pertamina’s tenders took a long time, and that even after a winning bid and a signed deal, another buyer sometimes paid more and received the cargo. “The government is learning from this,” he said.
Exceptions and the LPG question
Pertamina may still import directly in narrow cases. Bahlil said this applies if national reserves are very low or there is a geopolitical event at the oil source, and even then Pertamina must coordinate with BLU. He cited Article 4B of the regulation.
Imports still cover 85 percent of national LPG needs, mainly from the United States, Bahlil said. Diesel, he added, is no longer imported.
Source: Lemigas Public Service Agency (BLU Lemigas)
