Jakarta – The Indonesian government has confirmed that the implementation of the B40 biodiesel program, which combines 40% biodiesel with 60% diesel, will begin on January 1, 2025. At the same time, the government will also apply strict sanctions against business entities that fail to fulfil their biodiesel distribution obligations.
“We have identified the technical readiness of biodiesel providers and feedstock infrastructure for B40. The program will be officially mandated starting January 1, 2025,” said Eniya Listiyani Dewi, Director General of New Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE), in a press conference on Monday, September 9.
Technical, supply and infrastructure preparations are already well underway to support this transition to greener energy.
Eniya explained that there are currently 34 biofuel business entities involved in biodiesel supply. However, not all of these entities are active, even though their technical capabilities are sufficient.
“Currently, 23 out of 34 biofuel business entities are active and have been granted additional licenses after the commissioning process. So, we are optimistic on the technical and infrastructure aspects for B40. God willing, we are ready to move on January 1, 2025,” he explained.
“If there are business entities that do not distribute biodiesel for just one day, they will be fined. Last year there were already cases of fines that are now being processed in court,” Eniya emphasized.
Preparations for the B40 program are going according to plan, including trials of the use of B40 and B30D10 in various sectors. Trials in the automotive sector have been conducted from July to December 2022 with satisfactory results. Currently, trials for non-automotive sectors, such as trains, sea transportation, agricultural equipment, power plants, and heavy equipment in the mining sector, are underway and scheduled to be completed by December 2024.
The realization of biodiesel distribution in August 2024 reached 8.21 million kiloliters (kL), or 59% of the total allocation of 13.4 million kL. The government is optimistic that this target will be achieved in accordance with the timeline set to support the B40 program that will begin soon. (Hartatik)
