Gov't to Start B40 Road Test in February

The Indonesian government is set to start the road test of B40 in February, after conducting laboratory tests in 2020 and 2021.

As reported by Antara, director general of new, renewable energy and energy conservation at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Dadan Kusdiana revealed the plan on Monday, January 17.

“At the start of this year, hopefully in February, we will start the road test for B40 use,” Kusdiana said, adding that the necessary requirements have been met before road test for the mix of 40 percent palm-oil based biofuel and diesel fuel can begin.

The result of the road test will then be used by authority as a reference before implementing mandatory use for the mix.

The test itself will take up to five months before final conclusion and recommendation can be made.

The Ministry reported that domestic use of B30 in 2021 at 9.3 million kiloliters man was able to successfully reduce Indonesia’s oil fuel import and save Rp66.54 trillion (US$4.75 billion).

B40 is Indonesia’s next step to reduce the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuel. Furthermore, mandatory countrywide use of the mix will also keep demand for national crude palm oil (CPO) stable, especially after the European Union planned to gradually stop the use of palm oil.