REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- PT Pertamina is encouraged to deliver 100 percent palm oil-based diesel oil products. The new products produced, so far, only absorbed 7.0 percent of the total consumption.
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan stated that Pertamina had, so far, mixed parts of palm oil to be used as environmentally friendly diesel oil in B20 products and new products, specifically the use of kernel oil and residue.
"Other units will be built later, one hundred percent using palm oil," he noted in Palembang on Thursday after visiting the Plaju Refinery.
He said the government strongly encouraged this initiative by Pertamina, besides reducing exhaust gas, it could also lower fuel imports. In the meantime, Indonesia imported around 400 thousand barrels per day.
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The government is optimistic that this would be realized since it is synonymous with increasing national energy security.
Palm oil, which has been exported so far, is expected to be absorbed in the country, as its production is abundant. Jonan believes that the most important aspect is that there has been a change in Pertamina, which is limited to processing fossil energy into renewable energy.
Meanwhile, Director of PT Pertamina Nicke Widyawati, who was also present at the event, said that Pertamina had, so far, produced bio-diesel products (B20) that used a mixture of diesel from Pertamina oil. Currently, RU III Pertamina that has two refineries -- Plaju Refinery and Sungai Gerong Refinery -- is able to utilize kernel oil, or derivative products from CPO mixed with residue.
"So far, the residue has become 'waste' only, but because it is processed in refineries, it can become a Green Fuel product that has a better octane level," he stated.
He also vowed to produce diesel oil that already contains 100 percent palm oil at the Palembang RU III refinery, whose unit will be built in 2019.
Meanwhile, products from kernel oil will also be refined at the Balikpapan Refinery, Balongan Refinery, and Cilacap Refinery. Slowly, Pertamina will also mix B20 with palm oil, as its products are far more environment-friendly.
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