The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlability Lahadalia,\nhas revealed several strategic directives from President Prabowo\nSubianto following a plenary meeting with members of the National Energy\nCouncil (DEN) at the Merdeka Palace on Thursday (17\/09\/2026).<\/p>\n
One of the Head of State\u2019s primary instructions is to request\nrelevant agencies to immediately prepare concrete steps to develop a 50%\nbioethanol fuel blend, known as E50, in Indonesia. \u201cLearning from this,\nthe President has ordered the immediate formulation of steps for us to\nbuild E50,\u201d Bahlil stated after the meeting.<\/p>\n
The implementation of E50 is expected to significantly reduce fuel\nimport figures, following the success of previous mandatory biodiesel\npolicies. However, Bahlil has not yet specified a precise timeline for\nthe programme\u2019s execution.<\/p>\n
He revealed that national fuel consumption remains at a very high\nlevel. Diesel consumption is recorded at approximately 39 million\nkilolitres per year, while gasoline requirements range between 39 and 40\nmillion kilolitres per year. Therefore, the development of E50 is viewed\nas a crucial step to strengthen domestic energy resilience and\navailability. \u201cThis is a form of encouraging domestic fuel\navailability,\u201d said Bahlil.<\/p>\n
In addition to bioethanol, President Prabowo provided several other\nimportant directives, including efforts to boost national crude oil\nproduction through massive exploration activities and the optimisation\nof existing resources. The government will encourage large-scale\nexploration across various basins and potential oil and gas blocks\nthroughout the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition, we will also encourage massive exploration of basins,\noil blocks, and the optimisation of existing wells,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This optimisation effort will be supported by modern technological\ninterventions in ageing oil wells to increase productivity. Beyond\nconventional wells, President Prabowo also gave special attention to\ncommunity-operated oil wells (sumur rakyat).<\/p>\n
\u201cThis includes the President\u2019s order to monitor the 45,000 community\nwells, which must be managed professionally,\u201d Bahlil emphasised.\nAccording to him, the management of community wells must henceforth\ncomply with applicable laws and regulations. The government strictly\nprohibits any violations, including the sale of production to\nunauthorised parties through unofficial mechanisms.<\/p>\n
During the same session, the plenary meeting also discussed the\nnational level of readiness in anticipating global geopolitical\ndynamics. The President instructed that national fuel reserves must\nalways be maintained at a safe level for a minimum period of 18 to 20\ndays ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, everything is, alhamdulillah, clear,\u201d Bahlil concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/prabowo-instructs-bahlil-to-prepare-roadmap-for-50-bioethanol-fuel-blend-1789658675", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }