Jakarta - PT Pertamina, until the end of the first semester of 2021, posted a profit of US$183 million or equivalent to Rp2.6 trillion, compared to the same period in the previous year, a loss of US$768 million.

"This positive performance in the first half of 2021 was driven by growth in sales which reached US$25 billion and EBITDA of US$3.3 billion, both of which increased by more than 22% compared to last year," said Acting Senior Vice President Corporate Communications and Investor Relations. Pertamina, Fajriyah Usman, in his statement in Jakarta on Wednesday (18/8).

He explained, the impact of the prolonged pandemic will still be felt by Pertamina throughout 2021.

Fluctuations in crude oil prices greatly affect the company's performance. Indonesia Crude Price (ICP) has almost doubled from US$36.5 as of June 2020 compared to US$70.06 as of June 2021.

Pertamina's upstream oil and gas production reached the target of 850 tho