Pertamina’s LPG solution still unclear

The date and mechanism to distribute PT Pertamina-issued gas canister hoses and regulators that meet Indonesian National Standards (SNI) to Jakarta gas vendors remains vague, leaving many asking questions.

 “We are striving for a day-to-day progress in our distribution efforts, starting from the Bekasi area [in Greater Jakarta] and moving onwards to Jakarta and the surrounding areas sometime next week,” state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina spokeswoman, Wianda Pusponegoro, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
She said that 1.5 million preliminary sets were distributed to six agents in Bekasi on Wednesday.

People can exchange old hoses and regulators for new ones at factory prices — Rp 15,000 (US$1.65) for hoses and Rp 20,000 for regulators, she added.
According to Pertamina’s website, there are more than 100 agents  that supply 3-kilogram gas canisters in Jakarta, 12 of which are in Bekasi.
The exact dates for informing and distributing the sets to agents are still unclear, reflecting the company’s shaky distribution plan.
The business model between the company and their agents was also unclear.

“Our focus now is on how the public could obtain SNI hoses and regulators as soon as possible,” said Wianda.
A sample surveyed by the National Consumer Protection Agency (BPKN) recently revealed that all hoses, two-thirds of canister check valves, half of all stoves, 20 percent of regulators and 7 percent of canisters did not meet safety standards.
The flaws have reportedly led to 95 explosions, 22 deaths, 131 hospitalizations and left 55 houses damaged in Jakarta, Greater Jakarta and West Java, from 2007 to June 2010, BPKN’s study reported.

LPG canister distribution agents said Wednesday they had not received any notifications about the hose and regulator distribution.
Heru, a gas canister agent in Cilandak, South Jakarta, said: “Pertamina should have consulted with us first, since we know best how many sets we and our vendors need as it depends on the number of customers we have.”

The lack of information at the agent and vendor level could potentially hamper the distribution of hoses and regulators to the public. Currently, hoses and regulators of varying quality and prices flood the market, some of which supposedly carry the SNI logo.

A gas accessories vendor in Slipi, West Jakarta, Silviana, said she preferred to continue selling her current stock of SNI-labelled hoses and regulators obtained from a local distributor.
“The government’s method of distributing the new hoses and regulators is too confusing,” she said.

People can exchange old hoses and regulators for new ones at factory prices...

Based on The Jakarta Post materials.