The Indonesian Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has announced that it is still deciding the final makeup of the upcoming B50 biofuel program, which is expected to become mandatory next year. The program could either include a 50% blend of Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) or a mix of 40% FAME and 10% hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), a cleaner and more advanced biofuel, reports The Jakarta Post.
Eniya Listiani Dewi, the ministry’s director general of new and renewable energy, said the government is still weighing the practicality of launching the full B50 program in 2026.
“We haven’t decided yet whether we will start with B50 [with 50 percent FAME] in 2026,” she said during a press event in Jakarta on Thursday, according to Bisnis. “We have to assess how much FAME will be needed.”
If the plan uses a full 50% FAME blend, it will require around 20 million tonnes of FAME and an additional 2 million tonnes of crude palm oil (CPO). This would be a major increase from the current B40 fuel blend requirements.
Eniya also noted that five large biodiesel plants will be needed to meet the demand for B50. However, only three are currently being built. In addition, infrastructure is not evenly available across the country, with eastern Indonesia in particular needing more biodiesel facilities to support the rollout.
