Indonesia’s two presidential candidates both push for palm oil-based biodiesel

February 23, 2019 |

In Indonesia, both presidential candidates, Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto, pushed for increasing the production and consumption of palm oil in their recent presidential debate. Both the incumbent President and the challenger said that increasing the use of palm oil in biofuels will help the country reach self-sufficiency and rely less on imports for energy and fuel.

As the world’s largest producer of palm oil, current President Widodo has been pushing for the current biodiesel level of 20% at the pump be increased to 30% by 2020. The hope is to lower the amount of palm oil leaving the country in exports to help lower the amount of imports coming in for fuel.

During the debate, Widodo said he was ultimately aiming for 100 per cent biodiesel, or B100, from palm oil feedstock. “The plan is clear, so that we can reduce our dependence on imported oil,” he said, according to Eco-Business.com.

Prabowo also said he planned, if elected, to boost the use of palm oil in diesel, as well as develop ethanol fuels from palm sugar, cassava and sugarcane, according to Eco-Business.com.

Category: Policy

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