By Calvin Purba
The government has issued Presidential Regulation No. 26 of 2026 governing the mechanism for crude oil imports, allowing purchases to be carried out either through a Public Service Agency (BLU) or state-owned energy company PT Pertamina (Persero).
Vice Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Yuliot Tanjung said the regulation provides a legal framework for crude procurement from overseas markets.
 “For the mechanism, we already have Presidential Regulation No. 26 of 2026, under which imports can be carried out directly by SOEs, in this case Pertamina, and can also be conducted by the BLU,†Yuliot said on Monday.
He said the regulation also addresses potential legal risks related to differences in crude quality, delivery times, locations, and fluctuating prices.
Indonesia imports crude oil from regions including the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and Russia, according to Yuliot.
Read also : Govt prepares BLU scheme for planned Russian oil imports
The regulation follows the government's plan to establish a BLU scheme to facilitate potential crude imports from Russia as part of efforts to secure up to 150 million barrels of supply by the end of 2026.
Director of Oil and Gas Program Development Hendra Gunawan previously said the government was preparing implementing regulations to appoint a BLU entity to handle the purchases.
Meanwhile, Director General of Oil and Gas Laode Sulaeman said Pertamina would not directly import Russian crude oil.
According to Laode, Pertamina's position as a global bond issuer was a key consideration, as transactions involving Russia could potentially conflict with bond covenant requirements linked to Western sanctions.
Editing by Alexander Ginting
