Collection For Expansion Of Low Fuel Production In Sulfur, The Ministry Of Energy And Mineral Resources Must Appoint Pertamina

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA, the Committee for the Elimination of Fueled Gasoline (KPBB) emphasized the importance of quick steps from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) to accelerate the implementation of low sulfur fuel oil (BBM) in Indonesia. KPBB Executive Director Ahmad Safrudin said that Pertamina's appointment to produce standard Euro 4 fuel (90 sulfur content 50 ppm) would be a crucial solution in tackling air pollution in Jakarta and other major cities.

"The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Bahlil Lahadalia, must directly order Pertamina that Pertamina can only produce fuel that meets the euro 4 standard," said Safrudin when contacted by reporters, Wednesday, October 9.

Safrudin said the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources had actually established an obligation to provide low sulfur fuel since October 2018 for gasoline and April 2022 for diesel. However, according to him, implementation in the field is still slow.

"That is the government's obligation, especially the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, which must ensure the availability of fuel supplies throughout Indonesia, which has the standard of Euro 4. Well, secondly, Pertamina has no other option except to comply with regulatory regulations," he added.

According to Safrudin, the quality of fuel in Indonesia is lagging behind other countries in Southeast Asia. With the supply of fuel that does not meet the standard of Euro 4, motor vehicle technology that has used this standard becomes ineffective, so the resulting emissions remain high.

"Yes, it's only bad, because it could have been standardized by our Euro 4 motorized vehicles, both diesel or diesel and gasoline," he continued.

Safrudin added that the decision of the Supreme Court (MA) through the Jakarta High Court (PT) in October 2022 could also be a legal boost for the government to accelerate this policy. It is known that at that time residents won the appeal legal action filed by President Joko Widodo and his ministers over the air pollution lawsuit in DKI Jakarta.

"The decision states that the President, Minister of Environment and Forestry, Minister of Health, Minister of Home Affairs, then the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Governor of West Java, Governor of Banten, are obliged to make efforts for policies to control air pollution in accordance with established regulations," he added.

Meanwhile, contacted separately, Corporate Secretary of PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional (KPI) Hermansyah Y Nasroen said the government had set a maximum sulfur limit of 50 ppm for diesel fuel and gasoline through SK Director General of Oil and Gas No. 447.K/2023 and No. 110.K/2022, with the target being valid on December 1, 2027 for diesel and January 1, 2028 for gasoline. Currently, KPI products whose sulfur content is below 50 ppm are Pertamax Turbo and Pertamina Dex," he said.

To meet this target, Hermansyah said that his party had and would carry out several projects, including the Balikpapan Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) project which is planned to be completed in 2025, will produce fuel products with the equivalent quality of Euro5; the Diesel Hydrotreted (DHT) unit construction project to produce diesel with a maximum sulfur level of 50 ppm at Cilacap Refinery and Dumai Refinery; as well as the construction project for the Gasoline Sulfur Hydrotreater (GSH) unit to produce gasoline with a maximum sulfur of 50 ppm at Plaju and Balongan refineries.

"These projects are KPI's contribution to reducing emissions and part of the implementation of ESG in an effort to become an environmentally friendly company, be socially responsible, and have good governance," he concluded.