APQ Awards: Pertamina Employees Turn Used Cooking Oil into Jet Fuel

A total of 915 employees, known as ‘perwira’ at state-owned PT Pertamina, competed in the 16th Annual Pertamina Quality (APQ) Awards 2026 in Jakarta. One of the standout ideas was processing used cooking oil into future aircraft fuel and converting food waste into a protective coating for drilling equipment, saving billions of rupiah. The APQ Awards 2026, themed ‘Elevating Talent, Accelerating Innovation, and Delivering Enterprise Value’, featured 120 innovation clusters. A highlight was an innovation from Pertamina Patra Niaga’s Cilacap Refinery. Responding to the global energy transition challenge, the team successfully developed Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), an environmentally friendly aircraft fuel processed from used cooking oil. This breakthrough represents a concrete step by Pertamina in building a low-carbon business and pursuing its Net Zero Emission target. Equally impressive, a team from PT Pertamina Drilling Services Indonesia (PDSI) achieved Platinum recognition through a ‘Skin Care’ innovation for rig equipment. They created an anti-corrosion fluid for drilling tools derived from food waste, which has delivered significant cost savings of Rp 81 billion for the company. Riyan Tamara, Manager of Organization & Quality Management at PT PDSI, stated that the innovation was born from tough field challenges where drilling equipment is highly susceptible to rust. By using environmentally friendly raw materials, the team not only maintains equipment quality but also reduces potential environmental pollution and waste. Pertamina’s Human Resources Director, Andy Arvianto, emphasised that the hundreds of innovations emerging from the APQ Awards deliver significant impact beyond mere process efficiency. The effort aims not only to improve internal processes but also to enhance corporate value through cost efficiency, operational reliability, and talent competency strengthening. He described the event as a strategic instrument reflecting the state of innovation and quality across all Pertamina Group entities, with the assessment results providing management with data and insights to map strengths, gaps, and improvement opportunities. VP Corporate Communication Pertamina, Muhammad Baron, assured that these brilliant ideas will not end on the awards stage. All innovations will be incorporated into the company’s knowledge management system for potential replication in other operational units across Indonesia. He stressed that the mandate to safeguard national energy security must be accompanied by business processes that continuously innovate more quickly, effectively, and optimally, with sustainability monitored through post-competition audits to ensure long-term impact.