JAKARTA – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif has stated that the government will continually upgrade its biodiesel mandatory program to support the ongoing program of energy transition from fossil fuels to green energy sources.

The current program of biodiesel 35 percent (B35) will be upgraded to B40 in 2030. “We’ll continue upgrading the biodiesel mandatory program as it is good for our country,” Arifin said during the Sustainable Mobility Etanol Talk 2023 recently.

The energy and mineral resources ministry’s (MEMR) Bioenergy Director Edi Wibowo said that they are now in a process of conducting the application test of B40 for a number of modes of transportation. “For the application of B40, we need to make a thorough preparation, which include financing. Regarding the financing, it’s still in process, whether it will be funded by BPDPKS (an institution assigned to manage palm oil fund) or not,” he said on Monday, 09 October 2023.

According to him, for the implementation of the B40 program they need to secure the supply of crude palm oil as its raw material, production facilities, incentives and other important factors to support its implementation.

He said that the government has targeted to implement the B40 mandatory program in 2030. The ministry and other related institutions have started the application tests of B40 on the sectors of heavy equipment, ships, trains, and agricultural equipment and machines.

“We also need to ensure the capability of producers and the capacity of their processing plants,” he said.

“Indonesia has implemented the B35 program since February 2023 and planned to upgrade it to B40 in 2030 and E50 (bioetanol) in 2050,” the MEMR New and Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Director General Yudo Dwinanda Priaadi said when opening the Asean Renewable Energy International Seminar in Jakarta on Wednesday, 02 October 2023.

Yudo said the application of B40 will certainly enhance the strategic role of Indonesia as one of the largest producers of biofuel in Southeast Asian region. (*)

Source: sawitku.id