JAKARTA – State-owned oil-gas company PT Pertamina is preparing the development of a processing plant of biodiesel to support the government’s mandatory program of biodiesel 40 percent (B40), which will be implemented since January 2025.

“While waiting for the government to issue a regulation on the B40 program, we’re preparing our processing plant. Once the regulation issued, we have enough time for further preparation to help implement the B40 program,” Pertamina’s Vice President for Corporate Communication, Fadjar Djoko Santoso said in Bekasi, West Java, on Thursday (19/12/2024).

But he could not yet elaborate the production capacity of the biodiesel processing plant. “But we still have time around 6 months before marketing the B40,” he said.

According to him, the sale of B40 cannot be conducted immediately by early 2025. “It will depend on the regulation to be issued by the government,” he said.

He cited the example of current B35 implementation which was only fully 100% implemented after the government’s issuance of regulation. “Based on our experience in implementing the current B35, it took around 6 months. So, we hope it will be at least the same process,” said Fadjar.

The government, through the ministry of energy and mineral resources (KESDM), has planned to implement the B40 mandatory program since early January 2025, with a planned production capacity of 15.62 million kilolitre during 2025. (*)