PERTAMINA NOT TO RAISE LPG PRICE DURING ELECTION PERIOD

Jakarta, March 17 (ANTARA) - State-owned oil company Pertamina has promised it will not raise the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) during the period of election stages this year.

"We will maintain the current price of the 12 kg cylinder LPG until the end of the election stages," General Manager for Domestic Gas Affairs of Pertmaina Wahyudin Akbar said here on Tuesday.
Pertamina also guaranteed that LPG stocks during the period of election stages will be enough.
The government will organize a legislative election on April 9, 2009 and a presidential election on July 8, 2009. The newly elected president is expected to be installed in October 2009.
"There is no need for the people to worry about LPG stocks in the market," Akbar said.
At present, Pertamina's LPG stocks reach 200,000 tons, which are enough to meet domestic need for 20 days with an estimated consumption rate of about 7,000 tons per day.
The Pertamina policy to maintain the LPG price is in line with the government appeal that Pertamina should not raise 12 kg LPG price this year.
Pertamina now sells the 12 kg cylinder LPG at Rp5,750 per kg or Rp69,000 per cylinder. At the consumers' level the price is at a range of Rp75,000-Rp80,000 per cylinder, depending on their distribution distance.