The government has halted diesel imports following the implementation\nof its B50 biodiesel programme. However, PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC), a\ncoal-mining company owned by Bakrie Group, has continued to apply for a\npermit to import the fuel.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition and\nEnergy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia revealed this\nwhile attending the third national working meeting of HIPPI 2026 at the\nDjakarta Theater in Central Jakarta on Monday. Bahlil said he was even\nconsidering rejecting the company\u2019s application to import diesel.<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday I read that KPC had applied again to import fuel. I wanted\nto cross it off\u2014oh dear, a friend again. That\u2019s the difficulty,\u201d Bahlil\nsaid, as quoted by detikFinance on Tuesday (13 October 2026).<\/p>\n
KPC is a subsidiary of PT Bumi Resources Tbk (BUMI), which is part of\nBakrie Group. Bahlil made the remarks in front of Indonesian Chamber of\nCommerce and Industry (KADIN) chairman Anindya Bakrie, who is also a\nsenior figure in Bakrie Group.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we no longer import diesel, that\u2019s settled, except for Mr Anin\u2019s\ncompany for mining. I wanted to cross it off\u2014oh dear, this friend still\ndoesn\u2019t understand,\u201d he said jokingly.<\/p>\n
Fuel imports remain high<\/strong><\/p>\n Apart from the diesel import issue, Bahlil said Indonesia still\nimports around one million barrels of fuel per day. Domestic crude oil\nproduction is only about 600,000 barrels per day, while consumption\nreaches 1.6 million barrels per day.<\/p>\n In contrast, domestic diesel demand is now said to be fully met\nthrough the B50 programme, which uses diesel blended with up to 50% palm\noil. The programme has helped the government reduce its reliance on\nimported diesel.<\/p>\n \u201cWe no longer import diesel, because our total consumption is 39\nmillion kilolitres. Of those 39 million kilolitres, we use palm oil for\n50%,\u201d Bahlil said.<\/p>\n He stressed that Indonesia needs to make the most of domestic energy\nsources, both fossil fuels and plant-based alternatives, to reduce\ndependence on supplies from abroad.<\/p>\n \u201cHow can we avoid being dependent on the world? Inevitably, we must\noptimise all the potential energy sources we have at home, whether\nfossil fuels by increasing lifting, or by developing alternative\nplant-based energy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Government targets petrol blended with E50\nethanol<\/strong><\/p>\n Alongside diesel, the government is promoting alternative fuels to\nreduce dependence on imported petrol. Bahlil said Indonesia consumes 40\nmillion kilolitres of petrol, or gasoline, each year.<\/p>\n Domestic petrol production, meanwhile, is only around 18\u201319 million\nkilolitres a year. The shortfall must therefore be met through\nimports.<\/p>\n To address this, the government is promoting petrol blended with up\nto 50% ethanol, known as E50. Bahlil said the target was based on the\nsuccess of the B50 programme.<\/p>\n \u201cHow can we resolve this? We want to promote ethanol, up to E50. We\ncan learn from diesel, from B10 to B50. The feedstock\u2014sugar cane,\ncassava and maize\u2014can help create new centres of economic growth,\u201d\nBahlil concluded.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bahlil-takes-a-dig-at-bakrie-over-continued-diesel-import-permit-application-1791856250",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}