Reduce Fuel Imports: Prabowo Studies Palm-Oil-Based Gasoline

JAKARTA — President Prabowo Subianto said the government is examining the production of gasoline from crude palm oil (CPO). He made the comment in a speech at the 19th Plenary Session of the Indonesian DPR on the Macro-Economic Framework (KER) and Core Policies of the Fiscal Policy Package (PPKF) for the 2027 State Budget. ‘We are also examining the production of gasoline from crude palm oil,’ Prabowo said at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (20 May 2026). The global oil price has surged since the United States (US) and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February. Besides examining the production of gasoline from CPO, the government is also accelerating biodiesel production from crude palm oil. The government will also produce diesel from feedstocks such as natural gas and coal. ‘We can also produce cooking energy very cheaply, using waste and corn stalks,’ Prabowo said. The government is also stepping up solar-powered electricity generation. Prabowo said the government targets the construction of solar power plants with a capacity of 100 gigawatts within the next three years. ‘God willing, we will eliminate our dependence on imported fuel and we will save our precious foreign exchange reserves,’ he added.