Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia firmly asked PT Pertamina to import oil from the United States (US), despite logistical, distribution, and other challenges.
"There is no reason (not to import from the US). After all, we also import LPG from the United States," said Bahlil when met at the ESDM Ministry Office.
Therefore, Bahlil assessed that there was no reason for Pertamina not to import fuel oil (BBM) or crude oil from the US.
The statement was in response to the President Director of PT Pertamina Simon Aloysius Mantiri who said that Pertamina was reviewing the transfer of the portion of oil and gas imports from other countries to the United States.
In following up on the plan to increase the portion of oil and gas imports from the United States, Simon said that the plan was not free from various technical challenges and risks, both in terms of logistics, distribution, infrastructure readiness, and economic aspects to mitigate risks that could disrupt national energy security.
"The main risk is in terms of distance and delivery time from the United States which is much longer, which is around 40 days compared to supply sources from the Middle East or Asian countries," said Simon in a Hearing Meeting with Commission VI of the Indonesian House of Representatives .
Conducting a study on increasing the portion of oil and gas imports from the United States is a form of Pertamina's support for the negotiations carried out by the government with the United States.
