Support B35 Program, Pertamina Prepares A Refinery For 50.000 KL Capacity

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

Pertamina Patra Niaga revealed that it will always support the mandatory biodiesel activities implemented by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM).

As one of the channeling business entities, Pertamina Patra Niaga President Director Alfian Nasution explained that his party had built infrastructure to accommodate Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) with a capacity of 50,000 kiloliters (KL).

"Especially for B35, we have prepared 50,000 new FAME tank clusters," said Alfian at the launch of B35 at the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy Office, quoted Wednesday, February 1.

Alfian said that his party would receive 9.9 million FAMEs from the Indonesian Biofuel Producers Association (Aprobi).

"Indeed, there will be 9.9 million FAMEs that must be met by Pertamina later in the B35 program. If last B30 we received 8.5 KL, it will be 9.9 million KL. For Pertamina, we have to prepare this as well as possible with the receipt of FAME 9.9 million KL," continued Alfian.

Alfian also revealed the challenges that Pertamina had to face in supporting the implementation of this program. Alfian said Pertamina has 112 biodiesel terminals spread throughout Indonesia. His party has carried out simplification so that Aprobi does not experience difficulties when supplying biodiesel to Pertamina.

"If the 112 terminals must be fully supplied by Aprobi, of course it will be difficult. We have carried out simplifications to 17 terminals so that Aprobi is not difficult. Of these 17 terminals, the rest are responsible for Pertamina to reach 112 terminals," explained Alfian.

He added that he had also asked Aprobi to pay attention to the quality of the biodiesel produced, because biodiesels have hydroscopic properties.

"We ask that the water content must be humiliated, the oxidation stability must be humiliated, it must be better and one more thing we ask for, monoglycerides must be lowered. That is our challenge as well as our hope that if B35 will be carried out as soon as possible," concluded Alfian.