Bahlil: Without Pertamina, B50 Fuel Programme Would Not Run

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - President Prabowo Subianto officially launched the B50 biodiesel, a diesel fuel with a 50 per cent blend of palm oil-based biofuel, on Thursday (9/7/2026). During the inauguration, Minister Bahlil Lahadalia stated that the B50 programme would not have been possible without the role of PT Pertamina (Persero). He explained that 80 per cent of the Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME), the biofuel derived from vegetable oils, is refined to a high standard by the state-owned oil and gas company. ‘Honestly, Mr President, without Pertamina, B50 would not run because 80 per cent of the FAME is refined smoothly by Pertamina. The processing is so intense that prices sometimes fluctuate. Hopefully, with this launch, the price will be more stable,’ Bahlil said during the launch ceremony in Karawang, West Java. Bahlil recounted that a mandatory biofuel blending policy typically requires a maximum of 10 years, including 3 years for trials. The implementation of B50 comes just one year after the B40 programme was introduced in 2025. ‘We honestly say this was not an easy job. Usually, the stages go up by 5 per cent, a maximum of 10 per cent, and even then it takes 10 years with 3 years of testing. But the President’s order at that time was that we must launch B50 in 2026 by any means necessary,’ he said. Bahlil added that the directive was interpreted not just as a technical order, but as a matter of sovereignty, self-reliance, and national pride in producing energy from the country’s own resources. Following this directive, a cross-ministerial team immediately coordinated to ensure the launch of B50. ‘The test case took six months. We tested trains, cars, even Mercedes cars, not just Toyotas. So we tested vehicles from Asia to Europe, and ships as well. Alhamdulillah, the test results showed that the quality of B50 is much better than B40,’ Bahlil elaborated.