B50 Biodiesel Fuel Officially Launched, Indonesia Eyes Future B60 Transition

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has opened the possibility of developing biodiesel fuel with a 60% blend (B60) following the implementation of the B50 mandate. However, technical and economic studies must still be conducted before the policy is adopted. Director General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE) at the Ministry of ESDM, Eniya Listiani Dewi, stated that researchers have been asked to examine the most appropriate formulation if Indonesia wishes to transition to B60. “We have asked researchers to predict whether, if we want 60%, it would be 50 plus 10. This is similar to the feeling we had when we first imagined moving to B50,” Eniya said on Wednesday (15/7/2026). According to Eniya, the government will not rush towards B60 as the implementation of B50 is still underway. Furthermore, using a biodiesel blend above 50% faces production cost challenges. “Because research must be done first; for blends above 50%, the combination, if you want to add 10% from the D100 hydrocarbon, the price is still one and a half times the price of FAME,” she said. President Prabowo Subianto officially launched diesel fuel blended with 50% palm oil-based biofuel, known as B50, on Thursday (9/7/2026). The mandatory B50 programme is a strategic government agenda to reduce dependence on imported fuel, particularly diesel, strengthen the added value of national natural resources, and safeguard economic resilience and Indonesia’s energy sovereignty. In his speech, Prabowo stated that with the launch of the B50 programme, Indonesia officially became the first country in the world to implement a B50 biodiesel mandate. “This is not just a technological achievement; it is proof that Indonesia can utilise its own natural wealth for the benefit of its people,” he said in Karawang. Prabowo emphasised that the B50 achievement should not halt innovation. He encouraged PT Pertamina to push towards B60. “Thank you to the scientists from universities, continue this research. Thank you Pertamina, do not stop at B50, aim for B60 if possible,” Prabowo asserted. He also announced that he would award the Star of Honour to parties who successfully implemented the B50 policy.