Observer Says Bioethanol Development Requires Clear Roadmap

Agricultural expert Khudori has assessed that the government needs to formulate a clear and detailed roadmap for the development of the bioethanol industry so that the target of implementing a 10 per cent ethanol-blended petrol (E10) can be achieved sustainably. According to him, the roadmap must contain a clear work plan, a strategy for achieving targets, an evaluation mechanism, and a division of roles for each stakeholder in the programme’s implementation. “A detailed roadmap is needed to guide the work plan, how to achieve it, evaluation, and outcomes,” Khudori said in a statement received in Jakarta on Friday. He stated that besides drafting the roadmap, the government also needs to ensure a clear division of tasks among agencies and consistency in field implementation. According to him, the biggest challenge of various government programmes so far has not only been target setting but also policy integration and consistent execution. The statement was made amidst government efforts to accelerate the development of sugarcane-based bioethanol to support the E10 implementation. President Prabowo Subianto is targeting the construction of 30 to 50 bioethanol plants to reduce dependence on imported petrol while strengthening national energy security. The government is also revising Presidential Regulation Number 40 of 2023 concerning the Acceleration of National Sugar Self-Sufficiency and the Provision of Bioethanol as Biofuel. The revision will, among other things, accommodate the addition of bioethanol blending facility capacity. However, Khudori reminded that bioethanol development also requires certainty of raw material supply. According to him, molasses, which has been the main raw material for bioethanol, is also utilised by various other industries, such as the seasoning, alcohol, and cosmetics industries. “Can it be ensured that all molasses, especially those owned by the private sector, will be allocated for the biofuel programme and processed into ethanol? What if the molasses cannot be shifted? What are the alternatives?” Khudori asked. Meanwhile, Pertamina New & Renewable Energy is currently developing bioethanol from various raw materials, not only molasses but also palm sap, sorghum, cassava, and maize. Currently, the implementation of a 5 per cent ethanol-blended petrol (E5) is still limited to around 170 Pertamina petrol stations in East Java and Jakarta. Pertamina New & Renewable Energy CEO John Anis estimates that Indonesia will need around 20 to 30 new bioethanol plants within the next two years to support the expansion of ethanol-blended fuel implementation.