Indonesia’s Pertamina launches sales of petrol with 5% ethanol mix
INDONESIAN state-owned energy company Pertamina has launched sales of petrol containing 5 per cent of bioethanol made from sugar molasses in two cities, as the country aims to expand the availability of renewable fuels.
Pertamina said it has started selling Pertamax Green 95, its 95-octane petrol mixed with 5 per cent bioethanol, in 15 petrol stations in the capital Jakarta and the city of Surabaya in East Java, the company said in a statement late on Monday (Jul 24).
The 95-octane fuel is one of Pertamina’s premium petrol products, while the majority of Indonesians consume 90-octane petrol.
Indonesia, the world’s biggest palm oil producer, has already implemented a 35 per cent mandatory blend of palm oil in its biodiesel, but has faced delays in implementation of a biofuel mix in petrol because of a limited supply of ethanol.
“Pertamax Green 95 is a milestone for Pertamina in development and distribution of petrol biofuel,” said Pertamina CEO Nicke Widyawati.
The Indonesian government plans to eventually mandate the bioethanol content for petrol at 15 per cent and use it nationwide by 2031.
In the first stage of the distribution, demand for the product is expected to reach 90,000 kilolitres per year, which would contain around 5,000 kilolitres of ethanol, according to an estimate by Pertamina Patra Niaga, which operates the company’s retail fuel stations.
Pertamina Patra Niaga will continue to monitor the consumption trend of the biofuel to gradually expand its distribution, Pertamina Patra Niaga CEO Riva Siahaan said. REUTERS
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