DENPASAR, BALINEWS – PT Pertamina (Persero) President Director Simon Aloysius Mantiri has issued a public apology to the people of Bali over recent fuel distribution disruptions that caused long queues at several gas stations. The state-owned energy company has pledged to improve its services and prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Simon delivered the apology during a coordination meeting at Pertamina’s Pesanggaran Fuel Terminal in Denpasar on Monday (October 19, 2026). The meeting was attended by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, Bali Governor Wayan Koster, and members of Bali’s Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda).
“On behalf of Pertamina Group, as its president director, I would like to express my sincerest and deepest apologies to all the people of Bali,” Simon said.
He acknowledged that the recent fuel distribution problems had directly affected residents, particularly those facing long queues at gas stations across Denpasar and Badung Regency.
Simon also expressed gratitude to the regional government, security personnel, and other stakeholders for their support during the recovery process. He said their assistance in maintaining security and helping ease congestion at gas stations had contributed to efforts to restore fuel services across Bali.
“We would like to express our deepest gratitude for the support of all parties. We also thank the people of Bali for their patience in dealing with this situation,” he said.
Simon emphasized that Pertamina was committed to conducting a thorough evaluation and improving its distribution systems and energy services to ensure that all areas of Bali receive adequate supplies.
“We promise and are committed to ensuring that this incident will not happen again in the future,” he stressed.
Alongside his apology, Simon explained that Pertamina had dispatched a tanker carrying Pertamax to meet fuel demand in Bali. An additional shipment was scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
“As for Pertamax, we actually dispatched a tanker yesterday, and another shipment of Pertamax is expected to arrive tomorrow,” Simon said.
Pertamina is also working to maximize Pertamax supplies at gas stations and distribution and storage facilities referred to as “Hyper Store” in his remarks.
“We have also reported that we will maximize supplies not only at gas stations but also at Pertamax Hyper Store facilities today,” he added.
Regarding diesel fuel availability, Simon said Bali's diesel reserves stood at more than six days. He explained that Pertamina no longer imports diesel fuel, while some of the island's Pertalite requirements are still met through imports.
Simon stressed that energy is a key pillar of Bali's economy, particularly its tourism industry, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and other economic activities.
He said maintaining smooth fuel distribution was therefore essential to preventing further disruptions to residents' daily activities and business operations.
Meanwhile, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said Bali's average fuel reserves had reached approximately 11 to 12 days. The government aims to increase the reserves to 15 days.
“Starting today, following our coordination meeting with Pertamina, fuel reserves across Bali have reached an average of 11 to 12 days. Thankfully, the situation in Bali has been brought under control,” Bahlil said.
Separately, Bali Governor Wayan Koster has extended the odd-even license plate policy at gas stations until Friday, October 23, 2026. The policy will be reviewed if fuel distribution returns to normal before the extended deadline.
The extension is intended to help maintain orderly operations at gas stations while fuel supplies continue to recover.
Pertamina has pledged to continue evaluating its distribution operations and strengthening supply management to ensure that Bali's energy needs are met and similar disruptions are avoided in the future.
