JAKARTA: The nationwide rollout of 50% biodiesel (B50) reaches an infrastructure milestone of 104 operational fuel delivery points in September, two months after the programme was launched on July 9, according to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.
The ministry’s director general of new and renewable energy and energy conservation, Eniya Listiani Dewi, told lawmakers on Tuesday that 76 delivery points were already distributing B50, while another 28 were transitioning from the previous B40 blend.
At the retail level, 6,050 petrol stations, or 94% of the national network of PT Pertamina Patra Niaga, the commercial and trading arm of state-owned energy giant Pertamina, have started dispensing the higher-grade biodiesel blend.
Some 362 outlets are still completing the conversion.
“B50 distribution has reached 3.4 million kilolitres (kL) as of Monday,” Eniya told a meeting with House of Representatives Commission XII, which oversees energy and mineral resources. “With a total of 10.69 million kL distributed, we predict that distribution will be successful by December,” she added.
The figure includes 7,273 kL of B40 distributed prior to the July rollout of the B50 programme.
B50 biodiesel, a 50-50 blend of palm oil-derived fatty acid methyl ester (Fame) and fossil diesel, is central to the national strategy to slash diesel imports.
Eniya estimated that if biodiesel utilisation reached 18 million kL, the country could save the equivalent of 310,000 barrels of oil per day.
“If our oil lifting is 610,000 barrels per day, then this vegetable oil could be half of that,” she said.
The government is also working to secure Fame supply, targeting between 16.8 million kL and 18 million kL from biofuel producers by the end of this year.
However, challenges remain. In July 2025, Eniya projected that a full 50% biodiesel blend would require 20 million tonnes of Fame and two million tonnes of crude palm oil, well above the requirements for B40 biodiesel.
She also noted that five large-capacity biodiesel plants would be needed to support the B50 rollout, compared with just three under construction at the time.
Infrastructure distribution remains uneven, with Eastern Indonesia identified as a priority for new facilities.
Despite the gaps, officials maintain the programme is on track to meet the end of the year targets for 2026.
In a related development, the government is also expanding downstream industries to support its biodiesel push.
The energy ministry said in July that national methanol demand stood at 2.5 million tonnes per year, which the government planned to meet by establishing a domestic methanol industry, according to Minister Bahlil Lahadalia.
He added that plants using natural gas and coal as raw materials would be built in East Java and in East Kalimantan.
Also in July, PT Agrinas Palma Nusantara announced it would reactivate its biodiesel production facility in Rengat, Riau, to support the mandate. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
