Prabowo: Indonesia Saves Rp170 Trillion in Foreign Exchange with B50 Biodiesel
President Prabowo Subianto has emphasised that the implementation of 50% biodiesel, or B50, means Indonesia no longer depends on diesel imports from abroad.
According to him, halting diesel imports has had a positive impact on the country’s foreign exchange savings. The foreign exchange savings resulting from the B50 policy are estimated at around Rp170 trillion.
“Starting this year, from 1 July 2026 we will no longer import diesel from abroad and we have succeeded in saving Rp170 trillion in foreign exchange, around 9.5 billion US dollars that we no longer have to send abroad,” Prabowo said during the Annual Session of the MPR and the Joint Session of the DPR and DPD in the framework of the 81st Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia at the Nusantara Building, Senayan Parliament Complex, Central Jakarta, Friday (14/8/2026).
With the implementation of B50, Prabowo hopes that national energy resilience and independence will grow stronger while reducing Indonesia’s dependence on imported energy.
Previously, Prabowo officially launched diesel fuel blended with 50% palm oil-based biofuel, or 50% biodiesel (B50), on Thursday (9/7/2026).
The inauguration of the B50 mandate is a strategic government agenda to reduce dependence on imported fuel, particularly diesel, and to strengthen the added value of national natural resources, as well as to maintain economic resilience and Indonesia’s energy sovereignty.
The B50 launch was attended by, among others, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, Minister of Investment and Downstreaming as well as CEO of Danantara Indonesia Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, and President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) Simon Aloysius Mantiri, as well as other cabinet ministers.
In his speech, Prabowo said that with the launch of the B50 programme, Indonesia has officially become the first country in the world to implement a mandatory B50 biodiesel mandate.
“Indonesia has officially become the first country in the world to implement a mandatory B50 biodiesel mandate. This is not merely a technological achievement; this is proof that Indonesia is able to utilise its own natural wealth for the benefit of its own people,” Prabowo explained in his speech in Karawang, Thursday (9/7/2026).
“This is an important milestone in the journey towards energy independence,” Prabowo added.
For Prabowo, the independence and survival of a nation are determined by three things, among others: first, whether the nation can produce food for its people; second, whether the nation has its own energy sources and does not depend on other nations; and third, whether the state also has water sources.
“Today I am proud to be here. I have been waiting for this day since before I was inaugurated as President. There is my core team, my advisory team, and I have always stressed: we must achieve food self-sufficiency, we must achieve energy self-sufficiency, we must not import fuel, we must not import food. Since before I became president, since I was chairman of HKTI, since I was minister of defence, my focus has been on managing this,” Prabowo asserted.
“By saying Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, on this Monday afternoon, 9 July 2026, with the grace of Almighty God, I, Prabowo Subianto, President of Indonesia, hereby launch B50 biodiesel,” Prabowo concluded at the inauguration.