Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The Minister of Energy and Mineral\nResources, Bahlil Lahadalia, has received instructions from President\nPrabowo Subianto to prepare the development of a 50% ethanol-gasoline\nblend (E50). This directive was delivered during the first plenary\nsession of the National Energy Council (DEN) for 2026, which addressed\nnational energy availability amidst global geopolitical dynamics.<\/p>\n
The government notes that current national fuel reserves stand at\napproximately 18 to 20 days. The development of E50 is designed as a\nlong-term strategy following the successful implementation of the 50%\nbiodiesel (B50) programme for diesel fuel.<\/p>\n
Bahlil revealed that the B50 programme, based on a mixture of CPO and\nmethanol, has successfully halted the import of specific CN 48 diesel. A\nsimilar scheme is now being prepared for E50, as national gasoline\nconsumption volumes are nearly equivalent to diesel consumption.<\/p>\n
\u201cLearning from this, the President has ordered us to immediately\nformulate similar steps to build E50. We know that our annual diesel\nconsumption is approximately 39 million kilolitres, and gasoline is\nnearly the same, around 39 to 40 million,\u201d he stated following the\nNational Energy Council Plenary Meeting with President Prabowo Subianto\nat the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, as reported on Friday (18\/9\/2026).<\/p>\n
In addition to promoting plant-based fuels, the government is\nstrengthening energy supplies by increasing upstream oil and gas\nproduction. These steps include the exploration of new oil basins and\nblocks, the application of technology to ageing wells, and the\nregulation of community-operated oil wells.<\/p>\n
Bahlil emphasised that the management of 45,000 community wells will\nbe directly monitored to ensure professional management and to prevent\nany illegal diversion of production results.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will also encourage large-scale exploration of basins and oil\nblocks, and the optimisation of existing wells. We will intervene in our\nold wells using technology; furthermore, the President has ordered the\nmonitoring of those 45,000 community wells to ensure they are managed\nprofessionally and that there are no violations or sales to unauthorised\nparties,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
Previously, during a simultaneous harvest event with the TNI in\nMalang, East Java, on Friday (17\/7\/2026), President Prabowo Subianto\nexpressed his intention to accelerate the development of the bioethanol\nindustry. To realise this, the government requires the construction of\ndozens of new bioethanol factories.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need factories; currently, we only have one factory. I have\ndecided that we must build at least 30 factories, perhaps even up to 50\nfactories,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Prabowo then compared the development of bioethanol usage in several\ncountries. According to him, India has implemented E20, while Brazil has\neven utilised E100, or fuel based on pure ethanol.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/following-b50-success-prabowo-instructs-bahlil-to-develop-50-ethanol-blend-e50-1789703695", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }