"This September, we will receive the evaluation results, not only on the cylinders' performance, but also on their utilization by the public," the ministry's Director General of Oil and Gas, Laode Sulaeman, informed when met on Monday (August 31).
Laode further explained that the public taking part in the 3-kg CNG trial is currently restricted to those within Lemigas.
"The public (in the trial) is still limited to Lemigas' internal environment. There are MSMEs there," he continued.
Within the next month, he said the trial will enter the direct user phase. This stage marks a shift from the earlier phase, which primarily involved testing the cylinders.
"Previously, we were still testing the cylinders and other aspects, but now we are preparing them for use and will evaluate them over a one-month period," Laode remarked.
ESDM Minister Bahlil Lahadalia also said CNG is not a new technology, as it has already been used in the hotel, restaurant, and cafe (horeka) sectors, as well as in the Free Nutritional Meal (MBG) program. However, its use has so far been restricted to large-capacity cylinders weighing 10 to 20 kilograms.
He then outlined the main obstacle in the trial as the technical aspect, where CNG gas pressure is around 200 to 250 bar, stronger than LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas), with pressure of around 5–10 bar.
Therefore, the government is continuing study on the use of CNG as an alternative to 3-kilogram LPG cylinders to reduce dependence on energy imports.
Bahlil noted that CNG benefits from the availability of domestic raw materials, particularly Indonesia’s abundant natural gas resources. In addition, the government has found new gas reserves in East Kalimantan that could be allocated for domestic use.
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Translator: Putu Indah S, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Primayanti
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