Pertamina Ensures Readiness of B50 Blending and Distribution Infrastructure
Pertamina Patra Niaga remains committed to ensuring the readiness of B50 blending and distribution infrastructure to support the government’s programme of replacing fossil-based vehicle fuels with new renewable fuels.
Biodiesel B50 is a programme initiated by President Prabowo Subianto that regulates the use of environmentally friendly diesel fuel with a composition of 50% palm oil (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester/FAME) and 50% fossil diesel. This B50 fuel began to be launched and distributed gradually by Pertamina from 1 July 2026.
Director of Downstream Optimisation & Distribution at Pertamina Patra Niaga, Hari Purnomo, said Pertamina continues to strengthen the readiness of facilities and infrastructure, product quality control, and safety aspects to maintain the reliability of energy supply for the public. In implementing B50, Pertamina is directly involved in the blending, storage, and distribution processes.
In the first stage, Hari explained, FAME is received by Pertamina from Biofuel Business Entities (BUBBN) through three transport methods: sea vessels, trucks or tanker lorries, and Pertamina terminal pipelines located close to BUBBN facilities.
After the FAME receiving process, Pertamina stores the FAME in storage tanks before proceeding to the blending stage.
The blending process of FAME with diesel is then carried out through two methods: sequential blending and inline blending.
In sequential blending, the volumes of FAME and diesel are regulated using flow meters/ATG for each product to achieve the B50 composition.
Meanwhile, in inline blending, mixing is carried out as FAME and diesel flow through the piping system, so that both materials are mixed during the flow process.
“There is sequential blending, where the diesel tank and FAME tank are blended in a tank to produce B50 biodiesel. There is inline blending, where it is channelled from the diesel tank to the FAME tank, then they meet in a single pipe, where there is mixing that will ensure it is properly emulsified, thus producing the B50 product,” Hari explained.
After the blending process, the New Gantry System infrastructure, capable of processing the filling or loading of B50 into vehicles/tanks, is also available at 11 locations throughout Indonesia. The readiness of this infrastructure is part of Pertamina’s efforts to support the distribution of B50 from terminals to the public.