Indonesia has completed its inaugural test of diesel locomotives fueled with a blend containing 40 percent palm oil, marking a significant step in the government’s push towards increased usage of palm-based biodiesel. Known as Biodiesel 40 (B40), the trial, jointly managed by the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry and state-owned railway operator PT KAI, aims to assess the viability of a cleaner fuel combining 40 percent fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) from crude palm oil with 60 percent fossil fuel diesel.
The test, conducted on the Bogowonto train route from Yogyakarta’s Lempuyangan station to Jakarta’s Pasar Senen station, seeks to evaluate the durability of the train’s generator set over 1,200 hours. Eniya Listiani Dewi, Director General of New and Renewable Energy at the ministry, anticipates completing the trial in approximately two months, targeting full B40 implementation by 2025.
Indonesia, the world’s largest palm oil biodiesel user, aims to bolster domestic vegetable oil demand while reducing reliance on imported diesel through the B40 initiative. The Oil Palm Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS) estimates a budget of Rp 30.22 trillion (US$1.95 billion) to subsidize biodiesel distribution in 2023.
Eniya Listiani Dewi emphasized that the ongoing trials, which started with four-wheeled vehicles last year and now include agricultural machinery and trains, will expand further to heavy equipment, shipping, and power plants in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, utilizing 16 million kiloliters (kL) of biodiesel. She expects conclusive results across all sectors by year-end, paving the way for the mandatory B40 program and potentially reducing annual CO2 emissions by 14.6 million tonnes while saving US$9 billion in foreign exchange.
