Jakarta: Indonesia’s state-owned oil company PT Pertamina is scaling up its effort to produce aviation fuel from used cooking oil, part of a broader push toward cleaner, low-carbon energy, reports Xinhuanet.
The project, known as the Used Cooking Oil to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (USAF) initiative, is led by Pertamina’s subsidiary, PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional (KPI). It began at the Cilacap refinery in Central Java — the country’s largest oil processing facility — and will now be extended to the Dumai refinery in Riau and the Balongan refinery in West Java.
“This project shows how serious we are about not only supporting the country’s energy needs but also investing in greener alternatives,” said KPI Executive Director Taufik Aditiyawarman on Tuesday, according to local reports. “It aligns with our goal to promote new and renewable energy sources that are better for the environment.”
The USAF effort started in 2020, when the Cilacap refinery produced its first batch of Bioavtur J2.4 using palm kernel oil. In 2021, the plant-based fuel was successfully tested in a CN-235 aircraft. In 2023, it was used in a commercial flight operated by Garuda Indonesia on the Jakarta-to-Solo route.
“These successful trials show that sustainable aviation fuel made from plants is no longer just a theory — it’s already working in the real world,” Aditiyawarman added.
