Minister Confident Indonesia Can Become Major Player in Palm Oil Bioenergy
Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita is confident that Indonesia has strong potential to become a major player in the development of palm oil-based bioenergy through innovation, downstream processing, and international cooperation with Russia and countries in the Eurasian region. “Through innovation, downstream processing, and international cooperation, we want to make the palm oil industry not only a driver of the national economy, but also part of the solution towards energy security and sustainable industrial development,” the Minister said in a statement confirmed from Jakarta on Saturday. Indonesia participated in a forum themed ‘Palm Oil and the Future of Sustainable Energy’ at INNOPROM 2026 in Ekaterinburg, Russia, on 7 July. Amid the world’s increasing need for cleaner energy, Indonesia is offering its industrial experience and capacity in developing palm oil-based bioenergy as a mutually beneficial cooperation opportunity. Director General of Resilience, Regionalisation, and International Industrial Access at the Ministry of Industry, Tri Supondy, stated that the forum was an important opportunity to showcase the development of Indonesia’s palm oil industry, which is no longer solely oriented towards export commodities. As the world’s largest palm oil producer, Indonesia used the forum to demonstrate its industrial readiness to support the global energy transition. One of the strategic programmes introduced was the implementation of the mandatory B50 biodiesel programme, which will take effect in July 2026. Indonesia also introduced various policies supporting the sustainability of the palm oil industry, ranging from smallholder replanting programmes, human resource capacity building, to biodiesel industrial technology development. The government is also continuously strengthening the implementation of the Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certification system to ensure national palm oil production meets global sustainability standards and is more competitive in the international market.