REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia's state-owned oil company PT Pertamina will focus on reducing imports, refinery construction, and implementation of Biosolar B20 program. Newly inaugurated President Director Nicke Widyawati made the remarked here on Wednesday.

She stated at a press conference that the three targets were a short-term plan that Pertamina would carry out until the end of this year. She also said that Pertamina would reduce imports that have become bigger this year.

According to data of the Central Bureau of Statistics, imports of oil and gas from January to June 2018 jumped 20.82 percent from US$11.62 billion to $14.04 billion. Widyawati noted that she would also realize the development of oil refineries.

At present, Pertamina is building six refineries, including four Refinery Development Master Plan in Cilacap (Central Java), Balikpapan (East Kalimantan), Balongan (West Java), and Dumai (Riau) and two Grass Root Refinery (new refinery) in Tuban (East Java) and Bontang (Central Kalimantan).

The third plan to be realized immediately is implementing the mandatory use of biodiesel B20. Pertamina will sell biodiesel with a 20 percent biofuel content at its filling stations.

Earlier, Minister for State Enterprises (BUMN) Rini Soemarno expected Pertamina to be able to use all Indonesia's crude oil production to be fed into its refineries in 2019. Pertamina has to spend large foreign exchange for the import of crude oil to feed its oil refineries as most of the country's crude oil production by oil contractors is exported.

"Pertamina is also expected to start implementing plan to build more oil refineries to reduce the country's dependence on imports for oil products mainly oil fuels," she said on board a ferry on her way from Merak, Banten to Bakauheni on Wednesday.

Indonesia, once member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has become a net importer of oil on shrinking domestic production and fast growing domestic consumption.

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