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JAKARTA – Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman inaugurated the soft launching of biodiesel 50 percent (B50) in Batulicin, Tanah Bumbu regency of South Kalimantan province on Sunday.

“This has opened a new history of our national energy resilience at higher level. It has been the big idea of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and President-elect Prabowo Subianto to make Indonesia as a food barn and self-sufficient in energy,” the minister said during the soft launching of B50 at biodiesel plant of PT. Jhonlin Agro Raya in Batulicin, Tanah Bumbu regency of South Kalimantan province on Sunday (18/8/2024).

He said that there is huge need of palm oil-based biodiesel, especially for local consumption as a way to strengthen national energy resilience. “Globally, the demand for biodiesel has been rising. Europe alone needs around 2.6 million kiloliters of biodiesel per year,” he said.

Minister Amran said that Indonesia under the administration of Presiden Joko Widodo has been continually pushing for the production and consumption bioenergy. “Our biodiesel program has been gradually upgraded from B15 in 2015, to B20 in 2019, B30 in 2022, and to the ongoing B35 , which has been implemented since early 2023,” he said.

“Through priority program of national energy, which is the implementation of B50 and Bioetanol E10 programs, we hope our national utilization of bioenergy will continually rise. That way we can reduce our imports of crude oil and oil fuels (BBM), and also reduce carbon emissions,” he said.
“This B50 is very important and very strategic for us. Amid the current global crisis, especially in foods and energy, this is our strength. The solution for the crisis is here in Indonesia.,” said Minister Amran.

He said that besides the B50 production, Indonesia has been also able to produce biodiesel 100% (B100), which is 100 percent processed from palm oil by using locally-made catalyst called Merah-Putih Catalyst. “But currently, we’re assigned to make preparations for the implementation of the B50 program. “The preparations include ensuring the availability and reliability of crude palm oil (CPO) as raw material for the production of B50, its technical and economic aspects, quality standard, specification, business assessment, legal aspect, and road test before its full implementation. In such preparations, we’re coordinating with related minisries, especially the ministry of energy and mineral resources (MEMR),” he said.

As the world’s largest producer of CPO, Indonesia is seen able to ensure the supply of CPO for the production of B50. Based on data from the agriculture ministry’s plantation directorate general, in 2023 Indonesia has a total oil palm plantations at 16.8 million hectares with production of CPO at 46.9 million tons. (*)