Indonesia Targets 2027 for E10 Petrol Rollout, Plans 30 Bioethanol Plants

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia has revealed plans to implement petrol blended with 10% to 20% bioethanol (E10-E20) in Indonesia. Bahlil explained that the rollout will be carried out in stages, with E10 targeted for 2027 and E20 to follow.

“E10 maybe in 2027, and then straight to E20. So the goal is after the planning is complete. We will proceed in stages, copying the strategy used for B10, B20, B30, up to the current B50,” Bahlil said at the State Palace on Monday (21/7/2026).

Bahlil explained that the study for the mandatory E20 programme has been underway since 2025 and is nearly complete. The plan is for implementation between 2028 and 2029. “Why? Because once we implement the mandatory ethanol policy, we can achieve efficiency or savings on petrol imports. But we do not want to implement E20 while importing the ethanol,” he said.

To prevent this, the government is preparing the bioethanol industry first, a process expected to take one to two years, using raw materials such as cassava, sugarcane, maize, and other commodities. “We do not want to implement E20 but then import the ethanol. So now we are preparing the industry first,” he added.

Previously, during a simultaneous harvest event with the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) in Malang, East Java, on Friday (17/7/2026), President Prabowo Subianto expressed his desire to accelerate the development of the bioethanol industry. To realise this, the government needs to build dozens of new bioethanol plants. “We need factories. Currently, we only have one factory. I have decided we will build at least 30 factories, or up to 50 if necessary,” he stated. Prabowo also compared Indonesia’s progress with other nations, noting that India has already implemented E20, while Brazil is using E100, or pure ethanol-based fuel.