Celios: Consumers Face Potential Losses of Rp17.4 Trillion Annually Due to Adulterated Fuel

According to the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), the potential daily loss to the public due to alleged adulteration of Pertamax fuel in 2023 reached Rp47.6 billion, or approximately Rp17.4 trillion per year.

This estimate is based on reports from 619 consumers who complained about their losses to the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) and Celios during the period of February 26 to March 5, 2025.

Of this number, the majority, or 86.4% of consumers, felt economically disadvantaged because they had to pay more for lower-quality fuel.

51.9% of consumers reported losses of less than Rp10 million per year from the alleged fuel adulteration.

Furthermore, 33.6% of consumers reported losses between Rp10 million and Rp50 million per year.

Some also assessed their losses at over Rp100 million per year (8.5%), and around Rp50 million to Rp100 million per year (6%).

"This diverse range of losses indicates that Pertamax 92 is used by various groups," Celios wrote in its report.

The Celios survey revealed that the lost expenditure due to adulterated Pertamax 92 could have been used for other purposes.

37% of respondents stated that the money could have been used for basic needs. It could also have been allocated to savings (23.3%), education (20.5%), healthcare (17.2%), and other expenses.