The Government Will Trial Bioethenol Starting Next Month

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources will begin piloting the fuel of Etanol five percent (E5) starting in July 2023.

Director General of New Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (Dirjen EBTKE) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Dadan Kusdiana said this trial would start from East Java with 40,000 kiloliters (KL), especially in Mojokerto and Surabaya.

"In the eastern region around Surabaya, Mojekerto because the factory is there, in Malang and Mojokerto. Now we focus on Mojokoert first, which is 10 thousand," Dadan told the media quoted on Tuesday, June 20.

Dadan explained that the preparation for the bioethenol trial had been carried out since 2008 and had not yet been able to run due to economic problems. This ferocity began to run again after President Joko Widodo signed Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 40 of 2023.

"Because the president asked to run, the Presidential Decree has been signed. For that, hopefully in early July we can carry out (trials) for a limited area," continued Dadan.

Dadan said, for the initial stage, his party had prepared 100,000 KL bioethenol, but because it was still in the trial stage, it would start with 40,000 KL. Later, this bioethenol will be produced by two companies, namely PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) and one private company in Malang, Molina.

Regarding prices, Dadan said, it would not be much different from Pertamina's Pertamax fuel price, which is currently priced at IDR 12,400 per liter.

"How much is it now? Yes, it's the same as bio ethanol," concluded Dadan.