Pertamina to Construct 40 COCO Gas Stations This Year

KATADATA - Competition in the fuel supply business between Pertamina and private companies, especially foreign ones, is getting stiffer. The state oil firm plans to increase its company-owned, company-operated (COCO) fuel filling stations to keep up with the competition.

According to the company’s Marketing Director Ahmad Bambang, Pertamina will build 40 new COCO filling stations this year to make it easy for customers to buy its products.

(Read: Trade Minister: We Prove to Pertamina on Gas Station Fraud

Vice President of Fuel Retail Marketing Afandi has confirmed the plan. He said that it is natural for Pertamina to be developing its network of petrol stations across Indonesia. “We expand our distribution network of gas filling stations, fuel stations for fishers and others by around 200 every year. As for COCO, we plan to build another 40 filling stations,” he said.

Afandi, however, was unable to pinpoint the locations of the new filling stations. The company uses three schemes to increase the number of COCO filling stations: construct new stations, acquire old gas stations from private owners, or develop them through a joint operation.

Pertamina is also planning a business expansion abroad, particularly to Timor Leste. According to Afandi, Pertamina owns a fuel terminal in Dili and is a fuel supplier to the country’s filling stations. “We will construct our own gas stations or in partnership with a Timor Leste state-owned enterprise,” said Afandi. (Read: Pertamina Readies to Market 30 Thousand Kiloliters of New Diesel Type)

Meanwhile, Pertamina’s Vice President of Corporate Communication Wianda Pusponegoro said that to improve its services, the company will evaluate all of its petrol stations in Indonesia. She said that there are 400 gas stations that do not have Pertamina standard “Pasti Pas” certification. “We expect all gas stations to obtain “Pasti Pas” certification this year,” she said.Pertamina currently owns around 5,400 fuel stations across Indonesia, of which 138 are COCO gas

Pertamina currently owns around 5,400 fuel stations across Indonesia, of which 138 are COCO gas stations and the remainders belong to private companies. The construction of 40 new COCO gas stations by the end of the year will increase the number of filling stations owned by the company to 178. (Read: Government to Impose Energy Security Fund on Foreign Gas Stations)