JAKARTA – The Indonesian agriculture ministry (Kementan) will develop Papua island as the center of renewable energy.

“The plantation directorate general has been assigned by Agriculture Minister to design a concept of ‘Papua as the future of Indonesia’s renewable energy center’,” the agriculture ministry’s Plantation Director General Andi Nur Alam Syah said during a national coordination meeting on ‘accelerating the replanting of smallholders’ oil palm plantations and anticipating the impact of El Nino’ on Tuesday (5/3/2024) in Jakarta.

According to him, Eastern Indonesia, including Papua, is potential as buffer zone of foods and bioenergy, such as biodiesel, and biofuel, which will be supported by development of oil palm and sugarcane plantations in the island.

“The development of Papua as the island of bioenergy will strengthen our national food and energy resilience, open new job opportunities that will absorb 60% people in Papua, and increase the public welfare in Papua,” he said.

“Products, such as sugar, cooking oil and bioenergy, resulted from the down-streaming process in the island will be used to fulfill the need of foods in Papua, and also for exports,” said Andi.

The development program of Papua as the island of bioenergy will include production of cooking oil, and biodiesel (B100), development of 1.0 million hectares (ha) of oil palm plantations, 9.0 cooking oil plants that will produce 1.0 million cooking oil and 33 plants of bidoesel to produce 4.6 million tons of B100.

Besides, Papua is also designed as producer of sugar and bioethanol, which will be supported with development of 1.0 million ha of sugarcane plantations. These plantations will push development of 42 sugarcane processing plants to produce 10 million tons of white crystal sugar (GKP) or 6.0 million kiloliters of bioethanol. (*)

Source: news.majalahhortus.com