InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – The Government of Indonesia gets more serious to reinforce energy security nationally by taking advantages on biodiesel as the main component in energy transition. Biodiesel mandatory program that was mixed to 35 percent of diesel (B35) would be one concrete thing to realize energy security and minimize fuel import dependence.
President Prabowo Subianto in his speech after being inaugurated on Sunday (20/10) emphasized the energy self-sufficiency would be the main focus in his era. “We have to realize energy self-sufficiency because we have kinds of plantations, such as, palm oil that would produce energy for us and we would not depend on other countries,” he said. Besides palm oil, he also said other plants, such as, cassava, sugarcane, and sago as the sources of renewable energy.
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resource, Bahlil Lahadalia said that what President Prabowo ordered in energy self-sufficiency was really clear. “Energy independency would be the main goal and biodiesel would play the big roles to realize it. We successfully realize it and B40 tests have been accomplished,” he said, as InfoSAWIT quoted, Monday (28/10/2024).
Bahlil also mentioned the plans of the government to go forward by developing B50 and B60 because Indonesia would have abundand supplies. “If I am asked, do we have enough crude palm oil (CPO), we do. But we have to test the technology so when it is implemented, B50 and B60 should have been prepared and ready to apply,” he said.
Head of Communication, Public Information Serivce, and Communication Bureau Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resource, Agus Cahyono Adi emphasized taking advantages on biodiesel kept increasing in the last several years. “The increasing trend showed that the government would seriously minimize fossil fuel dependence. B35 has been implemented, it would be B40, to B50 and B60,” he said in Jakarta, Saturday (26/10).
Data from the ministry showed that biodiesel realization reached 9,3 million kiloliters in 2021, got escalated to be 10,45 million kiloliters in 2022, to be 12,2 million kiloliters in 2023. By implementing B35 that has started in August 2023, the government saved the revenue up to Rp 120,54 trillion. The additional values from CPO conversion to be biodiesel contributed Rp 15,82 trillion and hired about more than 1,5 million workers both in off-farm and on-farm.
Biodiesel optimization would be not only the strategic thing to realize national scale – energy security but also the significant contribution to create more sustainable and optimal economy. (T2)
