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Indonesia plans B40 biodiesel road tests next month
Indonesia plans B40 biodiesel road tests next month
17.01.2022 (www.theedgemarkets.com) - JAKARTA (Jan 17): Indonesia's Energy Ministry plans to begin road tests for a biodiesel programme using 40% palm-based bio-content (B40) in February, a senior government official said on Monday (Jan 17).
The world's largest palm oil producer mandated that biodiesel sold in the country be blended with 30% of palm-based biodiesel to cut its energy imports and increase consumption of palm oil — the feedstock for the fuel.
The ministry plans to tests two types of B40 blending, one using 30% fatty acid methyl ether (FAME) and 10% distilled palm methyl ester, and another using 30% FAME and 10% palm-based diesel known as green diesel.
"The use of B40 must be followed by quality improvement of both biodiesel and diesel oil," said Dadan Kusdiana, the ministry's director-general of renewable energy.
Kusdiana said the road tests would take around five months and the decision on mandatory B40 implementation would be taken after the tests are completed.
The government had planned to launch the B40 programme from 2021 to 2022, but the high price of the vegetable oil made it too costly. The Indonesian Palm Oil Association expected B40 to be delayed beyond this year.