The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Tests B50 on Mining Vehicles

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has recorded positive results from the test use of 50 percent biodiesel fuel (B50) in the mining heavy equipment sector.

Director General of New and Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Eniya Listiani Dewi, said that the B50 test on diesel engines currently underway showed good performance in terms of both operational and technical aspects.

"In general, the interim results of the B50 test on diesel engines in the mining sector show stable performance and no significant disturbances in the engine. This is a positive indication that biodiesel can be relied on to support the operations of the industrial sector," he said, Tuesday, April 7.

Eniya explained that in its implementation, the test of the use of B50 in the mining heavy equipment sector was carried out comprehensively, including testing the quality of fuel, engine performance, operational durability, to storage stability.

As of the end of March 2026, dynamic endurance testing has reached more than 900 operational hours without any indication of engine disturbances caused by fuel quality.

From the perspective of business actors, the results of field trials also show a similar trend. General Manager of the Plant of PT Harmoni Panca Utama (HPU), Rochman Alamsjah, revealed that his party had conducted direct testing by comparing the use of B40 and B50 on heavy equipment units.

"Currently we have run approximately 1000 hours by comparing the performance of two HD785 Komatsu units, one consuming B40 and the other consuming B50. So far, up to approaching 1000 hours per hour, the performance of the engine is not a problem even though there are some small notes in the form of fuel consumption still fluctuates higher 1-3 peren for B50," said Rochman.

In addition, the test results show that B50 fuel has met the technical specifications agreed upon by stakeholders as the test fuel specification, including water content parameters, oxidation stability, and FAME content. This confirms the technical readiness of B50 to be applied to the non-automotive sector with high workload characteristics, such as mining.

In terms of operations, there was an increase in fuel consumption of around 3.12 percent compared to the use of B40. However, this increase is still within reasonable limits and does not significantly affect the productivity of heavy equipment, so it still shows the feasibility of using B50 in the field.

As part of the national biodiesel mandatory policy, B50 is a blended fuel consisting of 50 percent biodiesel (B100) based on vegetable oil, such as palm oil, and 50 percent solar fuel (B0). This policy is designed to increase the use of renewable energy while reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports.