According to the task force’s head, Bahlil Lahadalia, the roadmap aligns with President Prabowo Subianto's directive to enhance energy security.
"While we accelerate our oil lifting, we also increase the use of biodiesel. Currently, we implement the mandatory 40 percent biodiesel (B40) program, and later, we will have B50,” he noted in a press conference in Jakarta on Friday.
B40 is a blend of 60 percent diesel fuel and 40 percent palm oil-based biofuel, which includes methanol and ethanol.
"For example, we need 2.3 million tons of methanol for the B40 program. As the directive from the president, we will build a domestic (methanol) factory in Bojonegoro, East Java, with gas as the raw material,” Lahadalia explained.
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Meanwhile, sugarcane will be used to produce ethanol. The government is preparing to build an ethanol factory in Java or Merauke, South Papua.
"Hence, based on the roadmap, we want to produce the components (of the biodiesel mixture) in the country,” he noted.
Prabowo has issued Presidential Decree No.1 of 2025, establishing the task force, which comprises several ministers, the attorney general, and the chief of the National Police.
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has been named as chair of the task force, while Minister Wahid has been appointed as deputy chair for land provision.
According to the presidential decree, the task force is mandated to fast-track downstream efforts across various sectors while bolstering Indonesia's energy security.
The decree, signed by the president on January 3, stipulates that the government prioritize the downstreaming of minerals, coal, oil, natural gas, agricultural yields, forestry products, and fishery commodities to boost their value.
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Translator: Aji Cakti, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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